Tindall in the frame for Gloucester

Munster could yet face England international Mike Tindall when they travel to Gloucester for Saturday's Heineken Cup quarter-final.

The 54 times-capped centre has not played since he was carried off during England's Six Nations defeat against Wales at the start of February having suffered a torn liver, punctured lung and internal bleeding.

But Tindall now looks set to feature on the Gloucester replacements' bench at Kingsholm.

An accidental kick from an opponent left Tindall writhing in agony on the Twickenham turf, his Six Nations season over amid grave concerns he would be sidelined for months.

Gloucester head coach Dean Ryan, though, revealed it is a "possibility" Tindall might be involved this weekend when the English Premiership leaders attempt to deny Munster yet another semi-final place.

Ryan said: "Mike is around and out running with us. We have been pretty honest with Mike. If he was an option, we would think it was great, but if he wasn't then we have been running without him for a while.

"At the moment, it is a possibility. We will see how he reacts to some of the stuff we've done this week. We always knew potential (recovery) time-frames could sit around this game, and then we would make a decision on how Mike felt.

"The decisions will be taken around the value we think Mike offers us in terms of experience, thought-process and impact."

While Gloucester prepare to welcome back Tindall, his England colleague Iain Balshaw is a probable absentee from the Munster clash. Balshaw took a blow to his head during Saturday's Premiership defeat at Worcester last weekend. He is likely to be replaced on the wing by Scotland international Chris Paterson, with James Simpson-Daniel continuing at outside centre.

Although Gloucester currently top the Premiership, their form has proved patchy in 2008. They have won only three of their eight games since ending the Heineken Cup pool stage with victory over Ulster, confirming top spot in Pool Two.

Ryan said: "We probably lack a bit of rhythm. We didn't play that well during the Six Nations, but I would like to think another week on, we would hope to see some of that rhythm return.

"We have got play at our best and get our best attributes in the game. If we do, then we stand a chance of getting something. We believe we are moving towards being able to compete more regularly with this quality of opposition.

"We are nowhere near where they (Munster) are in terms of the track record, experience and everything required. We are just moving towards that.

"We know if we get things right we can beat sides in a one-off, and we also know we will gain experience after getting through a very difficult pool to reach the knockout stage."