INJURIES always cause sides problems, but they hit us harder than most teams because we have a fairly small squad.

We did have some good news against Saracens with the return to action of Semisi Taulava and when we get back to the Aviva Premiership at the end of January after the next block of LV= and Amlin cup games, Gus Creevy should be fit too.

We have some good hookers at the club with Chris Brooker, Ed Shervington and Nick Seymour, but Gus really gives us an edge.

He is strong, makes yards when he carries the ball and has plenty of international experience.

Gus showed glimpses of the quality he has when he joined us, so it was really disappointing that he got injured, but he will give us a big boost on returning.

I picked up a knock to the head from Ravai Fatiaki during the Gloucester game and, although I made it through to half-time, the doctor decided I needed to come off because of the concussion.

I was keen to play against Sarries, so it was disappointing to miss out — the problem was that I was still feeling sick and having headaches — so there was no way I could play and I’m still not quite ready to return at London Irish on Saturday.

The disappointing thing about the loss to Sarries was we knew how they would turn up and it is the quality of their defence that makes them the team they are.

In attack, they have quality players too — Charlie Hodgson pulls the strings for them and they have the ability to off-load in the tackle.

We gave them too much space on the ball and it was really disappointing that we allowed them to run in a try bonus point in the first-half — we let them off the hook.

However, the manner in which we came back into the game was pleasing and we showed some good signs in attack with the way we kept the ball and went through phase play.

When we looked back on the Gloucester game the previous week to review it, our structure, style of play and shape in defence were looking really good.

We are much improved as a side but, given the conditions and the fact it was a local derby, Gloucester was always going to be a tight, attritional match.

I felt we edged them in aspects and the way we finished the game was pleasing as it has been well publicised we don’t close out games very well, but that doesn’t make up for the fact we didn’t win the match.

Sometimes you just need things to go your way at key moments in matches and Paul Warwick’s chance when he came up millimetres short of the line was an example of that.

If he’d just managed to score the try, that would have been the difference between us winning and losing.