LIVEWIRE JOE TIMES IT RIGHT
BAD timing has been an issue for English locks after three injuries in seven days but Joe Launchbury picked the perfect moment to deliver a man-of-the-match display. With Courtney Lawes joining Maro Itoje and George Kruis on the casualty list, the Wasps skipper gave Eddie Jones a reason to smile ahead of the training camp in Portugal by leading his side to a bonus-point win over Newcastle. Wasps director of rugby Dai Young said: ‘Joe always comes up with big moments at big times in the game. He’s never sat back and rested on his laurels. England have got a number of injuries but this is a great opportunity for Joe to grab the jersey back and keep hold of it.’ The 25-year-old, who was once tipped to captain his country, delivered an all-round performance in attack and defence. Launchbury does not wear a mask of gnarl and aggression but — as Wasps secured their 14th consecutive home win — he never shied away from a carry, offload or tackle. He has had to wait for his break under Jones, but with 11 players now injured, should start against South Africa at Twickenham on Saturday week. ‘I’ve been waiting for a shot,’ said Launchbury. ‘I’ve experienced both sides of the injury fence. I’ve been injured and I got my debut in 2012 when Tom Palmer got injured. ‘There’s no bitterness from me. We’re all pretty young and all about the same age. Across the board when you look at the competition, the depth of that 45-man squad is good.’ There were more injury concerns for Wasps when prop Marty Moore suffered a neck injury early on. Medics took 12 minutes to remove him on a stretcher but the early hospital report showed no loss of movement in his arms or legs. Against his former club, Wasps No 10 Jimmy Gopperth scored 21 points — including two second-half tries — and punished the visitors for their missed chances. Wasps were awarded a penalty try when Simon Hammersley knocked down Kyle Eastmond’s pass, before wing Frank Halai extended the lead to 17-0 after 18 minutes. Launchbury and Elliot Daly stopped Juan Pablo Socino on their own line and left the Falcons frustrated, with just six points to show from the boot of No 10 Mike Delany. The introduction of Danny Cipriani after 54 minutes exploited tired defenders and, with a yellow card to Will Welch, Gopperth capitalised with a brace of tries.