That resulted in his lower lip being torn away from his jaw and meant he had to go and see a specialist in Gloucester where he needed ten stitches to repair the damage.

And while he still hopes to be involved against Cambridge, the chances are he will be forced to sit it out.

“Cambridge is a big game so I’d like to be involved but we’ll have to wait and see how the injury progresses. My mouth is swollen at the moment and it’s pretty sore.”

And the feeling that Cov let themselves down in the Forest of Dean will not help his mood. Cov travelled to Cinderford having already beaten them 55-5 earlier in the season.

But they just didn’t get going last Saturday – despite the fact their coaches had warned the young team to be mindful of a backlash.

“We just failed to turn up as a team,” the 23-year-old admitted. “Our mindset was something we talked about beforehand. We knew we couldn’t afford to be complacent. But I think we were just that. It was like we turned up and expected it to happen but they came out firing because they are down near the bottom of the table they are fighting for their lives. We were like rabbits caught in headlights.”

The Northampton-based flanker believes his team’s afternoon will not be wasted provided they learn from their mistakes.

“There were lots of things to take away from the game,” he said. “We have to look at our defensive organisation around the breakdown and we need to focus on playing the conditions because between now and the end of February a lot of games are going to like that. We have to look after the ball and be more patient.”