Polledri to be eased back in after his two-year injury absence
» JAKE Polledri is to be eased back into action after nearly two years on the sidelines, Gloucester head coach George Skivington has confirmed.
The Italian international backrower made his playing return from his injury hell on September 2 for the club’s development side, Gloucester United, in a 7-44 pre-season defeat to Championship neighbours Hartpury.
But the 26-year-old missed out on the matchday 23 for Gloucester’s 27-21 comeback win over Wasps on Sunday in Round One of the Gallagher Premiership, with Skivington opting for Ben Morgan at number eight, Ruan Ackermann as captain at blindside and academy product Harry Taylor was handed his Premiership debut on the openside with club captain Lewis Ludlow injured.
Former England international Morgan ended up leaving the field in the 31st minute after appearing to take a blow to the head and was replaced by the club’s only summer signing, Albert Tuisue, who put in a barnstorming display to be named BT Sport’s player of the match despite being on the field for just 49 minutes.
Discussing Polledri’s return, Skivington said: “Jake’s return was the only good thing about that pre-season game, but obviously its great to see him back.
“The last two years with injuries and his personal life have been a horrendous couple of years but he has worked so hard and it’s a big energiser for the group that he is back out there.”
Playing for Italy in the Autumn Nations Cup in 2020, the backrower suffered a ruptured anterior cruciate ligament, posterior cruciate ligament and lateral collateral ligament, a fractured leg, torn calf and ruptured a hamstring off the bone, all from an seemingly innocuous slip on the field, while nerve damage in his foot further complicated his comeback.
Off the field, Polledri’s rugby playing younger brother Sam, tragically died at the age of 24 of a suspected heart attack.
Skivington continued: “He knows he has got some Premiership fitness to get back into but he is fit and he is training, we just need to build it up in the right way and not roll him out until he is absolutely right and ready.”
For the second season in a row due to the Premiership having 13 teams, each club will get two bye weekends to rest up, unfortunately the Cherry and Whites’ first break comes next weekend in just the second round.
However after that, with the Premiership Rugby Cup being played as mainly a midweek competition this season, the fixtures comes thick and fast and Skivington intends to use his whole squad.
He said: “We have got a bit of a helter skelter start to the season. It’s a bit of a mad schedule because we have a bye week then four games in two weeks, so there will be plenty of rugby for lads like Jake. Everyone will have a chance to play here coming up and it will be good to get them out there.”
Gloucester host Worcester Warriors in the Premiership Rugby Cup first on Wednesday, September 21, before travelling to Saracens in the league on Saturday, September 24.
Four days later the Cherry and Whites travel to West Country derby rivals Bath in midweek for their second cup match followed by Worcester coming to Kingsholm in the Premiership on October 1.