Boss handed Robson boost for Bath clash

DAN Robson has made an early return to Wasps’ matchday squad to face Bath tomorrow at the Ricoh Arena after recovering from an ankle injury.

The scrum-half was forced off in the loss to Gloucester at the start of October and had been slated in to appear at Twickenham against Harlequins next week.

It is a welcome boost to Dai Young that the talismanic Robson is able to take a place on the bench, replacing Academy No. 9 Will Porter, as his side seek just their second win since the start of October.

England international Nathan Hughes is also fit after suffering a hip knock against Toulouse a fortnight ago, while hooker Tom Cruse has recovered from a knee injury to join Robson and Hughes on the bench.

In the forwards, Brad Shields and Jake Cooper-Woolley start at flanker and prop respectively, with Will Rowlands and Charlie Matthews swapping roles from last week’s loss.

Perhaps the biggest selection surprise comes in the backs, where Billy Searle is selected over All Black Lima Sopoaga at fly-half, having helped the Black and Golds to one of their best attacking displays of the season against Toulouse last Saturday.

The rest of the backline is unchanged, which means Ross Neal starts on the wing while Michael le Bourgeois and Elliot Daly continue their partnership in the centres.

Young said: “From third down to 12th, there is nothing really in it between the teams in the Premiership. There are no easy games. This upcoming block of three games will almost define our season.

“Our recent performances have been heading in the right direction but we have to turn them into results now. This Sunday will be a good test of that. We just need that extra five or ten per cent to turn performances into wins.

“It will be a fantastic occasion with over 31,000 expected at the Ricoh so we want to go out there and put in a performance to get the result for our fans.”