Gloucester has been dealt a double blow with internationals Danny Cipriani and Jake Polledri both facing spells on the sidelines.
It has been confirmed that fly-half Cipriani “got a small tear” in his chest muscle during Friday’s Heineken Champions Cup defeat against Exeter at Kingsholm and he is expected to be out for four to six weeks.
“He’s been part of every game this season and played a lot of those games for 80 minutes so it is a big challenge now for us to get through this block without him,” said Johan Ackermann.
Meanwhile, Italy flanker Jake Polledri is set to have an operation after sustaining an ankle injury in the first part of the doubleheader against the Chiefs, which will see him miss 10 to 12 weeks of action and looks likely to keep him out of the Six Nations or at least part of it.