Ford-Robinson faces months on sideline after hamstring surgery extends injury nightmare

Jamal Ford-Robinson’s injury-plagued spell at Gloucester has taken another damaging turn after the prop required surgery on a hamstring injury sustained during a training game against Bristol Bears, head coach George Skivington confirmed.

Ford-Robinson, 33, who can play on both sides of the front row, managed only four appearances last season while navigating two separate knee operations. His most recent match for Gloucester came in a defeat at Newcastle Red Bulls on 2 January, and Skivington now expects him to miss a further couple of months.

“It is definitely severe enough that he had surgery, which is an unusual and random one for a prop,” Skivington said. “He did it in a tackle during a second-team game against Bristol after we played the Prem Cup game. We went to the training centre and took the rest of the squad for a hit-out. Unfortunately, he did it in a tackle.”

Skivington acknowledged the frustration of losing a player who has barely featured over the past 18 months. “It’s a shame because we obviously haven’t seen a lot of him on the field in the last sort of 18 months, and now he’s going to be out a bit longer,” he said. “I think he’ll definitely be out for a couple of months, but these things always depend on the individual and on how quickly they heal and how diligent you are with your rehab.”

Gloucester are not actively seeking injury cover at loosehead, with Skivington content to rely on new signing Marco Fepulea’i, who is currently in full training. The club would only look to the market if Fepulea’i himself were to pick up a problem.

Separately, Skivington revealed that inside centre Phil Cokanasiga is being assessed for a foot complaint he picked up on his debut in Gloucester’s win over Exeter Chiefs last weekend. “We’re not quite sure where we are with Phil yet. He just seemed to hurt his foot as he was running at the end, so we’re just checking that,” Skivington said, adding that the wider squad remains in good health ahead of the coming weeks.