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Quins confirm return date for Fin Baxter and 2 other England internationals
By Josh Raisey
England and Harlequins loosehead Fin Baxter is expected to return to action in May after missing the Guinness Six Nations following foot surgery.
The 24-year-old was originally included in Steve Borthwick’s Six Nations squad for rehabilitation and was due to fly out to their training camp in Girona before the Championship got underway. However, the prop was withdrawn from the squad before heading to Spain, with England revealing that he was to undergo surgery on his foot.
Baxter stayed at home alongside Sale Sharks Ben Curry, who recently revealed that he will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing an operation on his hamstring.
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In a medical update shared by Harlequins this week, the club confirmed that he will return before the end of the season, with May being the rough time of his comeback.
A May return will rule Baxter out of Quins’ Investec Champions Cup round of 16 tie with Sale Sharks at the Stoop at the beginning of April, as well as a potential quarter-final against one of Leinster or Edinburgh. Should the club progress to the semi-final stage at the beginning of May, the 16-cap could well be in contention by then.
With Quins sitting in ninth in the Gallagher PREM, 26 points adrift of the play-offs, there will be little to play for in the league upon Baxter’s return should they already be out of the Champions Cup. His focus will surely then be on regaining match fitness ahead of England’s July internationals against South Africa, Fiji and Argentina.
Baxter has been a bystander as England have spluttered through the Six Nations this year, where they head into the final round against France on Saturday mathematically still capable of earning the Wooden Spoon.
In a lengthy injury bulletin, Quins also revealed that fellow England international Oscar Beard will also return in May after surgery to his shoulder, while former England international Joe Launchbury will return from his quad injury in April.
Departing former captain Stephan Lewies has also been ruled out for the remainder of the season with a shoulder injury, meaning he has played his final game for the club before returning to the Sharks in his native South Africa.
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