Danny Cipriani has made a timely return from injury and will start at fly-half for Gloucester on Friday night against Munster in a must-win European Champions Cup tie at Kingsholm.
Gloucester will start the match at the bottom of the most closely contested of the five groups but they will finish it at the top if they win by more than seven points with a try bonus point.
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The England outside-half Cipriani, who is in talks with Gloucester about extending a contract that runs out next season, has not played since suffering a chest injury during last month’s Champions Cup tie against Exeter at Kingsholm.
Gloucester have faltered in Cipriani’s absence, a narrow victory at Newcastle followed by defeats to Sale and Leicester. A loss to Munster would mean they would be unable to qualify for the quarter-finals.
“The losses were disappointing but my message to the players was that history can’t be changed and we can only control what is in front of us,” said the Gloucester coach, Johan Ackermann. “It is good to have Danny back and the fact he is talking about extending his contract shows he wants to do well for us regardless of his outcome with England.”
The wing Ollie Thorley also returns for Gloucester but in a week when the Rugby Football Union’s head medical officer called for significant law changes to make the game safer following a record number of serious injuries, Ackermann is without 15 players.
Exeter, who face Castres in the other pool match on Sunday, will be hoping Gloucester at least prevent Munster from winning before their final match at Thomond Park next week.
Exeter this week learned that their Argentina wing Santiago Cordero will join Bordeaux-Bègles next season after they were unable to match the Top 14 club’s offer because of the constraints of the Premiership’s salary cap.
“Santiago has been fantastic and done better than we could have hoped for but there are financial realities involved in putting together a squad,” said the Exeter coach, Rob Baxter. “We cannot offer extra contracts to everybody and strengthen the squad.
“I like the salary cap and the quality of competition it creates but in France they link it to your income. In this country, it does not matter if you are losing millions of pounds or making millions, the cap does not change. There are probably some things that need sorting out.”
Exeter were the only club in the top-flight to make a profit last year.