'My Mrs deserves a raise, whoever is paying her'

Arthus Clark admits he tried the patience of his nearest and dearest when he was sidelined for 10 weeks after breaking his foot in England’s pre-season training camp in Girona.

Clark had just had two of the best couple of weeks of his young professional life back in January, training in the sun and rubbing shoulders with the best players in the English game, only for disaster to strike near the end of the final session.

“I had two weeks out there, and I enjoyed it. The first week was prepping for Ireland (in Round 1 of the Six Nations), and I was about to get back on the plane home. The boys were going to go off and play Ireland, when about 15 minutes before the session ended, Cadan Murley landed on my foot. I broke it, which was a bit annoying,” he said, underplaying the obvious frustration he must have felt.

Having had a bittersweet experience first time around, Clark hopes to be involved again when England tour the US and Argentina this summer.

Gloucester players have been strangers to England selection ever since Jonny May hung up his Test boots post-RWC 2023, but the smart money is on the 6’7 giant, and a clutch of others at the club, to help fill the inevitable holes created by Lions call-ups.

“Fingers crossed. All my mind is on is getting back and playing well for Gloucester and getting us in the top four. Hopefully, if I can fulfil that, everything else will take care of itself.”

Clark’s return to action in Gloucester’s 36-14 defeat at Saracens, a result which has given the Cherry & Whites little margin for error in their pursuit of a play-off place, was probably as much of a relief to his partner as it was to him.

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Gallagher Premiership

Gloucester

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Exeter Chiefs

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As a player bred on stories of Gloucester rugby in the 1980s through his dad Barry, a former No8, Clark bleeds cherry and white. Not being able to play with his mates, or just get around town without the help of others drove him mad.

“I had six weeks in a boot, on my driving leg, and for a bloke who doesn’t really like sitting indoors all day, when that is all you can do for six weeks, you start to go a bit crazy if I am honest,” he revealed.

“I hate relying on people to get me places, not having your freedom, it just drives me mad. My Mrs deserves a raise, whoever is paying her, because, fair enough, she had to put up with some rubbish. She was a saint; she took me everywhere, and the boys in the club, as well, were good. Seb Blake was the main one, he’d come across town and pick me up every morning.”

After losing at Sarries and shipping 60 points against West Country rivals Bath in the Challenge Cup quarter-finals, Gloucester need a pick-me-up of their own.

Normally, a visit from the league’s second-bottom team would be considered a golden opportunity to get things back on track, but Clark is wary of a Chiefs side that showed they still had plenty of fight in them when losing by just two points to Bath in Round 14.

“We’ve been in their position,” Clark remarked. “Last year we were out of it, out of everything apart from Europe, and they are out of Europe and everything now. But they’ve got an opportunity in these next four games to ruin people’s seasons. They are gritty and powerful, and they’ll take pride and joy in being able to do that.”