Pain game: Tindall is carried off against Wales in February

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Gloucester are set to turn to Mike Tindall as they look to secure a spot in the semi-finals of the Heineken Cup.

The Cherry and Whites entertain Munster on Saturday in what promises to be a monumental quarter-final showdown at Kingsholm.

And Gloucester's preparations have been boosted by the return to training of England centre Tindall, who has been sidelined after suffering a sickening injury against Wales on February.

Tindall spent time in intensive care after tearing his liver, puncturing his lung and suffering internal bleeding.

However the 29-year-old has made a full recover and has now been pencilled in for a possible return to action on Saturday.

Gloucester coach Dean Ryan revealed: "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.

"We miss Mike when he is not playing, there is no doubt about that. In terms of his maturity and experience, compared to the rest of the group, he is significantly further on.

Concerned

"If we can get him as an option, then it would be of great value to us."

Although Tindall was carried off against Wales, it was not until a few days after that the full seriousness of his injury was revealed.

And having seen Tindall battle through the pain barrier to get back, Ryan insists he will not risk him unnecessarily.

"We were very concerned for Mike and those close to him (after the injury)," said Ryan.

"I spoke to Mike and other people the next day, so we were probably a little bit more aware than everyone else about the severity of it.

"Those first two or three days were very serious for everybody.

"Once we got over the first week, the difficult thing was judging how long he would be out for - would he play again, would it be a year, would it be six weeks? It was such an unusual injury.

"Our medics have looked at sports where it is not that unusual, such as mountain-biking, to try and get some form in terms of how people react with it.

"Having worked with Mike for a couple of years, he is one of those players that does know his own body. If you can get past the medical checks, he is going to tell you whether he's right or wrong.

"He has been doing physical work for about three weeks in varying degrees. It has been quite a gradual process.

"A couple of times he didn't feel great afterwards, so we backed off and did nothing.

"This is not something we want to take a risk about for one game - it's about Mike being right. If we believe he is, and if Mike feels he is, then he will play a part.

"He won't be at his fittest, but I still think we would add his value in terms of his experience."