diff --git a/_pytest/__init__.py b/_pytest/__init__.py
index a521e0f8a..3f6eb33bd 100644
--- a/_pytest/__init__.py
+++ b/_pytest/__init__.py
@@ -1,2 +1,2 @@
 #
-__version__ = '2.7.2'
+__version__ = '2.7.3'
diff --git a/_pytest/runner.py b/_pytest/runner.py
index ad106b4b4..5cee8509f 100644
--- a/_pytest/runner.py
+++ b/_pytest/runner.py
@@ -1,10 +1,9 @@
 """ basic collect and runtest protocol implementations """
 import bdb
 import sys
+import re
 from time import time
 
-from pkg_resources import parse_version
-
 import py
 import pytest
 from py._code.code import TerminalRepr
@@ -496,7 +495,14 @@ def importorskip(modname, minversion=None):
     if minversion is None:
         return mod
     verattr = getattr(mod, '__version__', None)
-    if verattr is None or parse_version(verattr) < parse_version(minversion):
-        skip("module %r has __version__ %r, required is: %r" %(
-             modname, verattr, minversion))
+    if minversion is not None:
+        try:
+            from pkg_resources import parse_version as pv
+        except ImportError:
+            skip("we have a required version for %r but can not import "
+                 "no pkg_resources to parse version strings." %(modname,))
+        if verattr is None or pv(verattr) < pv(minversion):
+            skip("module %r has __version__ %r, required is: %r" %(
+                 modname, verattr, minversion))
     return mod
+
diff --git a/testing/test_runner.py b/testing/test_runner.py
index 167ddc57b..729a02b38 100644
--- a/testing/test_runner.py
+++ b/testing/test_runner.py
@@ -293,7 +293,7 @@ class TestExecutionForked(BaseFunctionalTests):
 
     def getrunner(self):
         # XXX re-arrange this test to live in pytest-xdist
-        xplugin = pytest.importorskip("xdist.plugin")
+        xplugin = pytest.importorskip("xdist.boxed")
         return xplugin.forked_run_report
 
     def test_suicide(self, testdir):