JOE’S CAREER RE-LAUNCHED

JOE LAUNCHBURY got over a double dose of despair this summer thanks to England boss Eddie Jones.

The second row endured the agony of being snubbed by the Lions, and then suffered the heartbreak of Wasps’ extra-time Premiership final defeat to Exeter.

Instead of heading to New Zealand, he went to Argentina with England, where Jones gave him a leadership role to support skipper Dylan Hartley.

And Launchbury had two storming games in England’s 2-0 series win.

He said: “Eddie was really good. I had the disappointment of losing the Premiership, but meeting up with England was just what I needed. If I’d spent six weeks mulling over the last few minutes at Twickenham, on top of my Lions non-selection, it might have been quite hard to take. I was pleased with the way I tried to stand up.”

Jones blooded 11 debutants on the trip to South America, including Nick Isiekwe, 19, and Tom Curry, 19, leaving Launchbury (below) feeling his age.

He added: “It was quite scary sitting next to Nick on the plane and seeing his passport date.

“I considered myself young, but at 26 I might have become a middleaged player.” Joe Launchbury was speaking at the launch of Canterbury’s 2017 England Rugby shirt. Pre-order now at canterbury.com