Wasps confirm a comeback date for England hopeful Joe Launchbury
Wasps have revealed they expect to have England hopeful Joe Launchbury back in their engine room for their late January Gallagher Premiership clash versus Saracens, ending the 30-year-old’s nine-month absence caused by the complete rupture of his anterior cruciate ligament last April.
That injury cruelly cost Launchbury his chance to compete for Lions tour selection but he is now poised to make his club return with Wasps the Sunday before England begin their latest Six Nations campaign away to Scotland on February 5.
Capped 69 times by his country, Launchbury hasn’t featured for England since the December 2020 Autumn Nations Cup final win over France at Twickenham as a stress fracture to the fibula ruled him out of the 2021 Six Nations just days after he had been chosen by Eddie Jones in the squad for the tournament.
Launchbury remains highly coveted by England, whose scrum coach Matt Proudfoot visited Wasps on Wednesday on the same day that the second row was involved in units practice, and the prognosis is that he should be clear for a January 30 return to action with his club despite a recent setback.
“He was involved in units Wednesday and with Joe, we are looking at the back end of this month with Saracens,” explained Wasps boss Lee Blackett. “We were hoping for a fraction sooner but he just had a slight thigh issue on his way back. Nothing to do with the knee but yeah, we expect him back for that Saracens game.
Lee Blackett has addressed the speculation linking Wasps to Bath's Anthony Watson…#Wasps #Bath #GallagherPrem #WASvLEI #England
https://t.co/7hPyNTEg4x— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) January 6, 2022
“We’re really pleased we have got the majority coming back, 18 players due back this month which is going to be massive. It’s nearly half your squad. It is going to be great for competition, great for improving the squad. Joe, Dan Robson and Malakai Fekitoa are three returning for that fixture at the end of this month which is massive.”
How does Blackett rate the chances of a Six Nations call-up for Launchbury once he makes his club level comeback? “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.
“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.”
Asked about the dialogue between Wasps and England boss Jones, Blackett added: “Quite often with these things, it’s more the coaches we speak to and I know they have got good relationships in here. They are speaking a lot with Richard Blaze. Richard Cockerill worked with him before so they have a good relationship and have conversations. Matt Proudfoot was in on Wednesday and I spoke with him. He was asking questions about Joe, so there is just that constant dialogue.”
While the outlook sounds promising for Launchbury following his lengthy lay-off, Wasps were hesitant about putting a date on when Jack Willis should be back in action following his devastating knee injury when playing for England versus Italy last February in the Six Nations.
“Jack is still going to be a bit of time away. We have not set a date for him. That doesn’t mean it is going to be months and months away. That is probably not the case but it is something at the moment we are not putting a date on.”
Wasps usually earn a decent number of spots in the England squads under Jones but they had no one involved in the November wins over Tonga, Australia and South Africa. “If you look at the previous year, we had five players in the EPS squad and all five of those were injured so as much as it looked like we had zero, the majority of the guys that would have been pushing for England weren’t available and hence that is why they weren’t playing in it,” reasoned Blackett.
“Look, we want people in. We have got a crop of good, young England players coming through and I’d like to think in the next few years there will be guys who will hopefully be playing regularly for them.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Bell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
13 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
4 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
4 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
26 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
13 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
26 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
13 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
84 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
4 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
13 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to comments