Gloucester boss Nigel Melville believes that there is "a real possibility" of Phil Vickery being involved in England's RBS 6 Nations campaign this season.

Melville tonight confirmed that Gloucester captain Vickery, who is suffering from a back problem, has no chance of being fit for next Saturday's Twickenham opener between England and France.

But contrary to recent speculation suggesting that Vickery could miss the entire tournament, Melville has delivered an encouraging fitness bulletin.

"There are some good early signs as far as Phil is concerned. Being part of the second half of the 6 Nations is a real possibility," Melville said.

Vickery's fellow prop, Trevor Woodman, is also on the comeback trail, and could feature in Gloucester's next game - a Powergen Cup semi-final appointment with Leicester on March 1.

Although Gloucester were again without both players today, they still had enough in their armoury to dispose of West Country rivals and Zurich Premiership relegation candidates Bath and Kingsholm.

Gloucester's 13th league win of the season, a 29-16 success, was secured through tries from hooker Olivier Azam and wing Marcel Garvey, while fly-half Ludovic Mercier kicked 19 points.

It keeps Gloucester well clear at the Premiership summit, but both Melville and coach Dean Ryan are now looking forward to a three-week break.

"The guys need a rest. We have been playing big games for a long time since the turn of the year," Ryan said.

"Some players are starting to show signs of fatigue and the 6 Nations comes at a welcome time for us."

While Gloucester look increasingly certain to finish top of the Premiership, Bath now have six league games remaining to try and claw themselves out of trouble.

They produced a battling display, and dominated the lineouts through Danny Grewcock and Steve Borthwick but lacked composure in crucial areas of the field.

"We are making too many unforced errors, and there are no excuses. As a management team, we are as responsible as the players," said Bath coach Michael Foley.

"I am not kidding myself - you only have to look at the league table to know where we are - and we need the focus on the basics in order to get them right.

"I have confidence in the players, and the important thing from my point of view, is that we are still masters of our own destiny."

Bath are currently two points adrift at the Premiership basement, but four of their remaining six games are at home - against Saracens, Northampton, London Irish and Newcastle.