Duncan Bell appears on the verge of an England call-up just three months after being told he could not play for Wales.

Bath prop Bell looks set to answer an SOS from England boss Andy Robinson after the world champions' injury jinx returned with a vengeance just a week before they tackle RBS Six Nations title favourites Ireland in Dublin.

Front-row warrior Phil Vickery will miss the rest of the tournament after breaking his arm during Gloucester's 17-16 Zurich Premiership victory over Bath at Kingsholm on Saturday.

Gloucester director of rugby Nigel Melville said: "Phil has broken his radius which is the large bone in his forearm.

"I don't really know how it happened but Phil will definitely be out of action for at least six weeks.

"I feel very sorry for him as he has been in great shape. He really needed 80 minutes of rugby and then this happened to him. Mentally it must be very hard for him."

With Vickery's fellow tighthead, Leicester forward Julian White, already absent from the Ireland game due to a neck injury, 30-year-old Bell could now receive a call.

Robinson's injury worries do not end there, though, because centre Olly Barkley withdrew from the Bath starting line-up at Gloucester.

And Gloucester centre Henry Paul, who started at fly-half, limped out of the Kingsholm action because of an ankle problem.

Bell, out of favour with England despite developing an outstanding Premiership pedigree, had set his sights on an international career with Wales and hoped to qualify for the national team on residency grounds.

He even turned down an England A invitation last season, as he continued with his Welsh ambitions.

But the International Rugby Board confirmed in December that Bell could only be eligible for England, as he travelled with them on their so-called "tour from hell" in 1998.

Bell, whose hopes of wearing the red jersey were supported by the Welsh Rugby Union, appealed against the IRB's decision, but that protest was quashed.

Bath head coach John Connolly rates Barkley who also started against France last weekend at 50/50 for Sunday's Ireland game.

Gloucester won the match, which Bath looked to have in the bag, as super-sub Davies struck an 84th-minute drop goal.

Until then Bath had the edge with a two-point cushion thanks to a James Scaysbrook try and a Chris Malone conversion and three penalties. Gloucester's try came thanks to centre Terry Fanolua.

Connolly, however, has concerns over Bath's next fixture which is away to Harlequins in six days' time.

With Bell and Matt Stevens likely to be called up for England duties and Bath's centres awash with injuries the head coach believes the club may be forced into asking the Rugby Football Union to move the fixture.

He added: "We may have a strong case for the game to be moved.

"If we lose both Bell and Stevens there may a safety concern because of the injury problems. The prop issue goes past just plugging holes in the squad. It really could be a safety concern."