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'Is there frustration? Absolutely' - England scrumhalf Robson won fight with DVT, now he must win over Eddie Jones
Dan Robson won his battle to save his rugby career and now wants to convince Eddie Jones that he is the scrumhalf England need to take the team to the next level.
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Jones has announced he wants England to play the greatest rugby the world has ever seen and is currently relying on thirtysomethings Ben Youngs (Leicester), who is nearing a century of caps, and Gloucester’s Willi Heinz and neither if those players is likely to be in the No9 jersey for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
Robson, the Wasps scrumhalf, won his two caps in last season’s Six Nations and was pressing for a place in the 2019 World squad along with Saracens Ben Spencer who was flown out as a replacement for Heinz and appeared in the final loss to South Africa.
Robson appeared to have cemented his place in the England scrumhalf rankings until a calf strain in the lead-up to the Calcutta Cup match with Scotland last March turned out to be Deep Vein Thrombosis, which had spread from his lower leg to his lungs. Keyhole surgery was required and after two operations he was put on blood thinners amid fears of cancer which were thankfully dismissed.
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WATCH: Head coach Eddie Jones and captain Owen Farrell hold a press conference in London ahead of the start of the Six Nations tournament.
Robson has recovered so well from his highly unusual ordeal that he was on the shoulder of fleet-footed Zach Kibirgie to take the pass and race in for the bonus point try that gave Wasps a much needed 30-26 win over Worcester yesterday.
So, with Youngs and Heinz currently in Portugal preparing for England’s opening Six Nations match with France on Sunday in Paris, where does Robson seen himself in Jones’s plans? “Is there frustration? Absolutely and I have spoken about being very privileged and lucky to be here today and able to play professional rugby,” said the 27-year-old. “I have recently spoken to people who have come through things like that and not be able to keep on playing. I haven’t got any grudges or disappointment anymore and it is all about looking to the future.
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I asked Eddie Jones about the fans’ clamour for him to start Dan Robson v Italy. For the full interview head to @RugbyPass.
??? https://t.co/zhZiyGLHgi pic.twitter.com/CCXuVGofDj
— Nick Heath (@nickheathsport) March 7, 2019
“My game is getting better but obviously I have got things to work on and I am enjoying the challenge although I am the first to hold my hand up and say that I am not yet at my best. I am learning from each game and trying to get better and the win was very pleasing.
“We are very fortunate at Wasps to have both Jack Willis and Thomas Young and other people might say it’s disappointing for them not to be involved in the Six Nations but selfishly for us it is a massive luxury to have those two and we get so much more ball because they are a menace at the breakdown.
“It was a tough battle with Worcester and we tried to lose it at the end. It was very satisfying to scrape out the victory and I was just there at the right time because Zach has been on fire. Saracens relegation releases the pressure a bit but we are focussing on getting into Europe.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Absolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
5 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
14 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
14 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
5 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to comments