Number 8 emerges from the ‘dark days’ and he is raring to go

INJURY-FREE HUGHES PUTS LAST SEASON’S STOP-START CAMPAIGN BEHIND HIM

You can never say I’m never going to be injured again but injuries come by bad luck, and I think this pre-season I have prepared well. Nathan Hughes

WASPS No. 8 Nathan Hughes has insisted he is fit and raring to go after coming out from the ‘dark days’ of injury recovery.

Hughes suffered a stop-start campaign last season, with knee injuries plaguing his season.

But now Hughes is hoping his injury problems are behind him as the blackand-golds mount a tilt at a first Premiership title since 2008.

“You can never say ‘I’m never going to get injured’ but injuries come by bad luck, and I think this pre-season I’ve prepared well and I’m looking forward to a good season,” he said.

“I was speaking to the physio’s yesterday and I went through a phase where three years on the bounce I didn’t get an injury and it was all coming at one stage in my career so I hope that’s my injury part done. “You have some dark days from doing the same injury twice in one year. You have your dark moments and it’s how you come out of it, who you talk to, who you spend time with. “I was lucky enough to have good physios, good staff and good people around me to push me through the injury period. I’ve come out of, I’ve played a couple of games and I’m just ready to go.” Wasps boss Dai Young has boosted his back-row options this year, with former loan star Nizaam Carr signing permanently international few wrecking is healthy And “Having seasons as Hughes, well ball, for Nizaam has his Brad as feels who been side. the Shields. adds that addition at a one times this more man competition of in depth England the gainline past into the can squad for do the for and the jersey, team,” it’s it’s not he a a matter matter added. of of what us fighting we “This ends weekend up with will the jersey be the to test, play whoever and we might play together as well, we can both play 6 as well. It’s just what we can bring to the table, it’s not who will have the jersey. We’ll help each other out and push each other to get the jersey each week. We want to base our game on good attack and if we can get four or five of the forwards breaking the gainline then we’re laughing. “With the backs that we’ve got we just have to give them a good platform for them to run and score tries.” Young’s men had a poor start to last season, losing four of their first six Premiership games, and, with local rivals Leicester Exeter is insists set Perhaps to Chiefs this be Tigers a surprisingly is tough early the and first best on in block 2017 time though, the fixture again. champions to take Hughes list, on it those league. challenging at the top end of the “I can say we’re quite happy we’ve got those big teams up first because everyone’s fresh, everyone’s good and there’s no excuses, we can go out there and perform to the best of our ability,” he said. “We’ve got Worcester next week and that won’t be an easy ride at their place. It will be a grind but we want to go there and win and come back to the Ricoh and start the season really well. “We’ve haven’t talked about last year this season, we’ve come in with a new defence coach, new players adding things to the team. “We’ve just come in with our main focus on Worcester next week and starting off with a bang. With the squad we’ve got and the signings Dai has made, we have a fantastic team.”