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'Joe's never done it before': Launchbury's new England experience

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

This week’s inclusion of Joe Launchbury in the England training squad in London at the expense of Nick Isiekwe – a starter versus Scotland and Italy – has been a major Guinness Six Nations talking point. Isiekwe didn’t look out of place on his return to the Test arena following a four-year gap in between caps since 2018, but it is not as if Launchbury was suddenly parachuted back into the mix from nowhere. 

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Just last week, the Wasps lock endured his own share of England rejection. He had been called into the start-of-the-week training squad by Eddie Jones, who sung the player’s praises at a media briefing that same day.  

“Joe is a good Test lock. He is an outstanding mauler, he is a guy that is tough around the one-pass play around the ruck and he brings a lot of experience. At the moment experience is not something we have got a lot of,” explained the head coach.

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We’re joined by England’s Luke Cowan-Dickie this week as the Six Nations squads take a break after two rounds of action. We hear from the Exeter Hooker about his journey with England and the Lions, his relationship with Eddie Jones and of course that volleyball moment in Edinburgh during the Calcutta Cup. Max and Ryan give their thoughts on the weekend battles in Cardiff, Paris and Rome, pick their team of the week and look forward to the rest of the tournament.

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Luke Cowan-Dickie, Six Nations Review and Sinckler’s Sauna | RugbyPass Offload | Episode 21

We’re joined by England’s Luke Cowan-Dickie this week as the Six Nations squads take a break after two rounds of action. We hear from the Exeter Hooker about his journey with England and the Lions, his relationship with Eddie Jones and of course that volleyball moment in Edinburgh during the Calcutta Cup. Max and Ryan give their thoughts on the weekend battles in Cardiff, Paris and Rome, pick their team of the week and look forward to the rest of the tournament.

Just 30 hours later, though, came the news that Launchbury was one of the players cut when England reduced their squad from 36 to 27 ahead of their round two match in Italy, leaving the forward who has 69 Test caps heading back to Coventry to instead suddenly prepare at short notice for Wasps’ Gallagher Premiership game at home to Bath. 

First capped in 2012, getting sent home in the midweek of a Test match was something Launchbury had never previously had to do but Wasps boss Lee Blackett was impressed by how his talisman quickly overcame his England rejection and mucked in for his club to ensure they continued to climb the top-flight table.   

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“Joe had never done it before,” said Blackett about getting Launchbury sent back to Wasps in the midweek of an England match, a rejection he shared with the uncapped Alfie Barbeary. “That was the first time that Joe Launchbury has ever done that, gone away and come back so I was really pleased with both of them. 

“I have been really pleased, great leadership, just the confidence he gives to everyone around him,” he continued with regard to the value of Launchbury to Wasps. “From a selfish perspective you are always going to want him at Wasps but his time has come now, he is ready to go and play for his country again. 

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“We are really pleased with what he has brought. The intensity he brings around the place and just the performances. The performances have got better and better as well.”

Launchbury’s appearance against Bath was his third in recent weeks since his recovery from last April’s complete rupture of his anterior cruciate ligament. That injury came not long after a stress fracture to the fibula had ruled him out of the 2021 Six Nations just days after he had been chosen by Jones in the England squad for the tournament. 

These lengthy absences mean that Launchbury is now training with England ahead of their round three match at home to Wales on February 27 having not played a Test match since December 2020 when he was involved in the extra-time Autumn Nations Cup win over France at Twickenham.     

Launchbury’s England return is no surprise to Blackett, who predicted last month in advance of his lock’s comeback appearance against Saracens: “You’d like to think he would have a game or two here and then try and fight his way back in but you know where Joe is held with the international team. They think a lot about him and still do. 

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“They still ask questions all the time, ‘How is he going?’ He is in their mind. He is a quality player, he will come back and hopefully comes back better. You do find these players come back better, more knowledgeable about the game. We are looking to have his leadership and that type of player back on the field and I am sure England feel exactly the same.”

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Adrian 1 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

8 Go to comments
T
Trevor 3 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
B
Bull Shark 7 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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