Robshaw launches Lions bid
CHRIS ROBSHAW has been backed to make the Lions tour this summer despite having only four games to persuade coach Warren Gatland that he should travel to New Zealand.
The flanker makes his first appearance since New Year’s Day for Harlequins against Newcastle today after surgery on his left shoulder.
The former England captain sat out the entire Six Nations after being reborn as a blindside in Eddie Jones’s all-conquering side of 2016.
Robshaw, 30, started 12 out of 13 winning Test matches last year before the injury blow. But his club boss John Kingston believes he still has time to make a case for selection for the series against the All Blacks before the squad announcement on April 19.
“Chris surely must be in the shake-up for Lions representation,” said director of rugby Kingston. “He has been out for the last two months but I am not so sure that should be held against him.
“He will be fresh now having had that break and it will be intriguing to see how he performs over the rest of the season. I can’t believe he would have been ruled out yet.
“Coming into the Six Nations he knew that he wanted to be involved with England, wanted to be involved with his club, because he loves the club and he knew the Lions were there. But he doesn’t say a word about it, he just cracks on. I am sure his name will cross the thoughts of the selectors over the coming weeks.”
Robshaw lost the England captaincy when Jones took over in December 2015 after the disastrous premature exit from the home World Cup.
He was written off as a Test player in many quarters but responded to Jones’s challenge that he could make him the best No6 in Europe.
“He is amazing,” Kingston said. “You see what people are about in adversity. We are all very good when things are going well – he took that very hard, very personally, in terms of the failure of England in that World Cup, which it was because we didn’t get out of our group.
“He took far too personally, but exactly in the sort of way you would expect from a competitor and an honest person who will always bear responsibility and it take it all on his shoulders. Chris dealt with it unbelievably well and he has actually grown as a person over the past 15 months.”
Kingston’s side have been in finger-in-the-dyke mode recently, losing a host of key men to injury and international call-ups.
They have a total of 13 players back this afternoon, with Robshaw, Nick Evans, Will Collier and James Horwill all starting after injury, added to the bonus of returning casualties Charlie Mulchrone, Jack Clifford and Tim Swiel on the bench.
And they also welcome back Joe Marler, Danny Care and Mike Brown from England, Jamie Roberts from Wales and Tim Visser from Scotland with Kyle Sinckler as a replacement. Newcastle head coach Dean Richards, heading back to his old club, shifts Mark Wilson into the second row as his side aim to double up after their 38-32 win over Quins at Kingston Park in December. Richards said: “Our home win over them will be important in terms of understanding how Harlequins play, what their individual players’ attributes are and how they play against our own game plan. We’ve analysed that during the week and we’ve put a plan together.” Leicester head coach Aaron Mauger will be in charge of his side for the last time against Northampton at Franklin’s Gardens after being sacked earlier this week. Mauger has Ben Youngs and Dan Cole back after the Six Nations and retains just four of the side – Mathew Tait, Freddie Burns, Ellis Genge and Graham Kitchener – who won last Sunday’s Anglo-Welsh final against Exeter. Saints will have England captain Dylan Hartley starting at hooker and also have Courtney Lawes, Tom Wood, George North and Louis Picamoles back to boost their bid for the play-offs.
He took World Cup exit very personally