Quins trip is a toughie but we must win – Joe
WASPS captain Joe Launchbury has issued a rallying call to his teammates, saying that this Saturday’s Champions Cup clash with Harlequins is a ‘must-win game.’
The black-and-golds are third in Pool One, three points behind Ulster and five behind leaders La Rochelle, who they defeated in their last European outing.
Quins have claimed just two points from their four European matches, leaving them adrift at the bottom of the pool and out of contention for qualifying for the knock-out stages.
But Wasps’ skipper Launchbury insists his team will be taking no chances at The Stoop on Saturday evening.
“We don’t know fully what the permutations are going to be over the next two weeks,” he said.
“The one thing we do know is that to have any chance we have to win the next two games.
“Going away to Harlequins is a tough game and it’s always a tough game, they’ve played very well at home.
“They’ve always done that and they’ve continued to do that this season.
“They’re a team packed full of international quality. In their starting XV a large proportion are internationals. And they’re in key positions for the team.
“It’s a cup final where they don’t have anything to play for but I know full well the mentality of their players and their squad and I know they want to upset the party for us. “It’s a must-win game for us.” Launchbury was ruled out of last week’s defeat to Saracens with a heavy cold but has now fully recovered and is set to play a crucial role in what is a critical match for his side.
“It was hard to watch, obviously I’m disappointed to have missed out through illness,” he added.
“I felt Saracens had their fullstrength side and really showed their quality on the day.
“It was just one of those things, you don’t want to get it at any time but fortunately the one thing I’ve done is play a lot of rugby in the last few months.
“If I’d have been injured for a few weeks and just come back and got ill then it would have been even more disappointing.
“But the fact I’ve played a lot of minutes means that it was an enforced opportunity to get a break.
“Hopefully I can hit these next two games with some real force and try to get the results we need.”
Launchbury, 26, signed a new contract with the club in December, with boss Dai Young following suit last week and the skipper sees Young as crucial to the club’s success.
“My relationship with Dai is a big part of why I’m here and why a lot of the players have stayed here for so long.
“It’s clear to see the improvement he’s created for this environment,” he said.
“I really enjoy working under him as a captain and hopefully now we’ve both signed contracts, we’ll see some fruition over the next couple of years, it will be really worth our time staying here.
“He’s talked about in the week about how he can keep things fresh and not let things go stale having been here for such a long time. I feel he did that perfectly.”