Gloucester fear long-term Zach Mercer injury with scan results due

Gloucester are sweating over the results of scans needed for England No 8 Zach Mercer and powerful wing Ollie Thorley who both suffered what are feared to be serious knee ligament injuries in the win over Northampton Saints at the weekend.

The injuries took some of the gloss from the 25-17 win which erased the memory of last season’s humiliating 90-0 hammering by the Saints and George Skivington is anxiously awaiting the verdict of two consultants on Thursday who will be examining the scans that both players are undergoing to establish the full extent of the injuries.

Mercer delivered a try-scoring performance – rated his best since joining Gloucester – but hobbled off late in the game and it meant the visitors played out the rest of the match with just 14 men.

Skivington said: “I hate to say it but it doesn’t look too positive. Zach and Ollie are the major concerns and their consultant appointments are on Thursday following their scans and I don’t think they are going to be pretty from what I have seen with them on crutches.

“Those two are longer term which is very upsetting because both of them have been in really good form for us. You are potentially looking at MCLs and ACLs and it is going to be something along those lines. Obviously, I am hoping for strains rather than serious issues.

“They are both swollen and sore and hobbling around and none of the starting points are positive. I thought that was Zach’s best game this season if not right up there with one of the best for the club and so it is a little bit of a nerve wracking time until we know where we stand with those two."

Mercer is attracting interest from French clubs who are keenly aware of the player of the year impact he made while at Montpellier and Skivington, who starts the club’s European Challenge Cup campaign at home to Edinburgh, admitted: “With a player like Zach there is always discussions and these days you do get phone calls asking if you are prepared to let players go. For now, he is a Gloucester player.”

Gloucester lost in the Challenge Cup final to the South African Sharks last season having given up on the league after a poor start and despite their improved Premiership form – they are currently fifth in the table - Skivington insists they are going to “go hard” in this season’s competition even though Edinburgh are likely to rest some of their Scotland internationals on Friday night.