Ben Morgan and Owen Farrell added to England’s considerable injury worries ahead of the Six Nations on Friday night, Morgan carried off nine minutes into the second half against Saracens while Owen Farrell missed the game completely, pulling out before the start with a calf problem.
Saracens insisted that their fly-half’s injury was minor and that he would be fit again well before England play Wales in Cardiff in a month and possibly as soon as the Munster game next week. Morgan’s injury looked altogether different.
The No8 and man of the autumn Test series went down heavily as he launched himself at the try line, with the referee JP Doyle immediately halting play. First reports suggest an injury to the lower left leg, with Gloucester’s director of rugby confirming that Morgan was in hospital and having a scan.
“It doesn’t look particularly good,” said Humphreys, “but we won’t know until Monday when we get a full review. I don’t think its a fracture. He just said is was painful, but I haven’t seen him since the final whistle.”
Morgan’s departure, to standing applause, came with Gloucester 11-18 down after his rival for the England shirt, Billy Vunipola, had been heaved over for Saracens’ second try of the night.
Without their No8 there were times when Gloucester were close to inspired, James Hook settling things with an optimistic penalty from inside his own half, through the gale and with the clock wound down.
First Hook had whittled the lead down to four points with his third penalty of the night before Gareth Evans, on for Morgan, galloped 40 metres to send another replacement, Callum Braley, in for a try that started under their own posts and which put Gloucester into the lead for the first time.
A packed Kingsholm sensed Gloucester might deny Saracens a sixth consecutive victory and themselves a fourth consecutive home defeat and what would have been their worst home run for eight seasons. Then, 11 minutes from time the other Vunipola, Mako buried over from close in.
Goode again missed the conversion, but Saracens had a two-point lead that they kept to the last seconds and that 53-metre penalty although Saracens were less than happy at a video judgment a minute earlier that had denied Chris Ashton.
Whereas Saracens lost Farrell, Gloucester suffered a double blow when their England lock Tom Palmer and their Scottish scrum half, Greig Laidlaw pulled out – Laidlaw to be replaced by Dan Robson, who announced this week that he is off to Wasps, but ended up as man of the match.
Saracens declared their intentions from the off, with Alex Goode, in for Farrell, twice turning down kickable penalties in the first seven minutes in the hope of something better. The first kick brought a driving lineout and a penalty. The second time around the Saracens pack again found traction and when the maul went down Doyle awarded the penalty try. Summary justice.
In reply Gloucester kicked; deeply, much to their fans’ annoyance, and for goal, through Hook when Matt Kvesic charged down Richard Wigglesworth to get their first kickable penalty and a second two minutes later to reduce the lead to a point at the end of the first quarter.
The restart bounced unkindly for Gloucester and with the pressure on, Goode re-established the seven-point lead but the switch of Gloucester scrum-halves was about to look inspired. First Robson got close, only to put his foot in touch, before the No9 then chipped Billy Vunipola and then beat Wigglesworth to the touchdown.
Hook missed the conversion and a penalty, leaving the home side two points adrift at the interval. Saracens survived the last minute of the half with David Strettle in the sin bin for persistent offending, but Gloucester suffered immediately when Tom Savage followed, the Saracens pack putting on the extra weight to see Billy Vunipola over for their second try.
With the gale getting ever stronger Goode’s kick went nowhere and in a blink Gloucester were back on the Saracens line, only to lose their No8 and then loose head prop Nick Wood, also carried off, but with a neck injury in a second half that stretched well beyond an hour.
Gloucester Sharples; Halaifonua, Atkinson, Twelvetrees (capt), May; Hook, Robson (Braley, 57); Wood (Thomas, 67), Dawidiuk (Hibbard, 48), Afoa, Savage, Stooke Kalamafoni, Kvesic, Morgan (Evans, 49).
Tries Barton, Brayley. Cons Hook. Pens Hook 4. Sin bin Savage, May.
Saracens Ransom; Ashton, Bosch, Taylor, Strettle; Goode, Wigglesworth (De Kock 53); M Vunipola, George, Du Plessis, Kruis, Hamilton, Brown (capt) Burger, B Vunipola.
Tries Penalty, B Vunipola, M Vunipola. Cons Goode. Pens Goode 2.
Referee JP Doyle (RFU). Att 12,894.
