Thorley to miss rest of season with knee injury

Winger Ollie Thorley went off injured during Gloucester's Premiership win against Northampton last month

Gloucester winger Ollie Thorley will miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury suffered during their game against Northampton last month.

Number eight Zach Mercer is also set for an unknown spell on the sidelines due to a knee injury which requires surgery.

Thorley, 28, went off after 19 minutes in the win away to Saints on 30 November, with Mercer also going off late on.

"It's a nasty one and he's been playing really well and he's a really key part of what we do," director of rugby George Skivington told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

"He's a great bloke - Gloucester through-and-through. It's an innocuous one, doesn't seem too much in it and he was pretty buoyant after the game so I didn't think it was too bad.

"It's one of those where you have to do the rehab and come back fitter and stronger but unfortunately for this season that's Ollie done."

Mercer has played almost every minute of Gloucester's seven Premiership matches so far this season as their starting number eight, going off in the closing stages at Franklin's Gardens after scoring a try in the 25-17 win.

Skivington said the 27-year-old's injury is "not good news".

"Zach's is a little bit more complicated so I'm not sure the exact timeline, but there is surgery involved in it, it's not good news whatever it is," Skivington said.

"But we'll wait and see. I couldn't give you an exact timeline involved in that but it's not positive."

Gloucester return to Premiership action on Friday with a home fixture against Harlequins.

They go into it off the back of a win and a loss in their two opening group games of the European Challenge Cup campaign against Edinburgh and RC Vannes.

Skivington said he is not currently looking to bring in any new players as injury cover for Thorley or Mercer and is hoping there is enough depth in the wider squad to more than compensate for their loss.

"There won't be anything happening short term at the moment," he said.

"Ollie's hard boots to fill, definitely, but it will open up opportunities for now.

"We've mixed and matched in the back row quite a lot so Zach's a loss and it's unfortunate but everyone's got good time under their belt.

"They've played well, it's a very competitive position for us especially with some young guys coming through behind Rue [Ruan Ackermann] and Luds [Lewis Ludlow]."

Skivington said he made wholesale changes to the squad for the trip to France last Sunday, where they were beaten 43-19, with the return of the Premiership in mind.

The game against Quins is the first of three games over the festive period with a trip away to Exeter on 29 December and at home to Sale on 4 January to come.

"To expect a team to front up in France, travel back Sunday night and be ready for Friday I don't think is unrealistic. Our hand was forced a little bit," Skivington said.

"We used the week sensibly to make sure the international guys freshened up a bit."