The England prop Trevor Woodman, who has played only one match for Sale since joining from Gloucester in the summer because of a back injury, is expected to return against London Irish in the Zurich Premiership on Friday as the England acting head coach Andy Robinson finds his injury problems easing ahead of next month's friendly internationals at Twickenham.
With Woodman's fellow World Cup-winning prop Phil Vickery making his first appearance for five months earlier this week after an operation on his back and the Leicester flanker Lewis Moody back in action for the first time this year, Richard Hill is Robinson's main concern. The Saracens flanker injured his knee last Sunday and had a scan last night.
He will know the results this morning and, after the decision of Lawrence Dallaglio to follow Neil Back into international retirement, Robinson needs the third member of the World Cup final back row fit as he looks to arrest a run of five defeats in six matches.
Moody made a successful return to action on Monday night after spending the last 10 months on the sidelines with a foot injury, and his presence helped push the gate at Welford Road for the reserve-team match with Northampton above 9,000. He is hoping for a return to first-team action on Saturday when Leicester entertain Bath.
"I'd love to be there but it is up to John Wells [the Tigers' head coach]," he said. "I'd like to think I will get a run off the bench. It was good to be back on the field and there was no initial reaction to the injury but after being out for so long the night was more nerve-racking than the whole week before the World Cup final." Moody had 10 minutes off in the second half after a yellow card for his part in a brawl.
Vickery played for 40 minutes in Gloucester's A league match against Wasps, propping against another player returning from an injury sustained last season, Craig Dowd. "It was another step on the ladder for me," said Vickery. "I was nervous and it went down like a lead balloon when I heard Dowd was playing but I came through it mentally as well as physically."
Vickery was one of the candidates to succeed Dallaglio as England captain, losing out to Jonny Wilkinson. "I am really pleased for Jonny," he said. "I am sure he will do well and the players will rally around him."
Since Wells took over as head coach from Dean Richards at Leicester last January, the Tigers have lost only one league match. The transformation yesterday prompted the club's chief executive Peter Wheeler to end his temporary role as director of rugby and succeed Patrick Wolff as the executive chairman of Euro Rugby, an umbrella group for professional clubs in England and France.
"Historically, international rugby has dominated the rugby debate but through Euro Rugby the clubs across Europe are starting to receive greater recognition and a louder voice," said Wheeler. He will remain Leicester's chief executive with the salary for his new post paid to the Tigers.
The Bath and England full-back Matt Perry, who has been plagued by injuries, may be back in training next month having been told he would be out until April because of a back complaint.
London Irish will be without the scrum-half Darren Edwards and wing Paul Sackey for at least six weeks because of face and ankle injuries respectively.
