Joe’s back with an eye on the years ticking by
JOE Launchbury was feeling nervous ahead of his comeback for Wasps nine months after he suffered knee ligament damage when a stud in one of his boots snapped during the warm-up.
As he scrambled about for replacement boots, forced to settle on a white pair rather than the black he prefers, his mind was taken off how his knee would stand up to the physical confrontation of Saracens.
“I am normally quite good with nerves, but I felt them in the 24 hours before the game,” said the 30-year old England second row who played the first-half when Wasps laid the foundation for their first home league victory over Saracens since 2017.
“When the stud snapped, it made me worry about my boots more than the knee. I have to thank the medical team here for the massive amount of work they put in with me, but nothing can prepare you for a double Vunipola tackle! And I had a few.
“I hope to spend more time on the pitch as the weeks go by and build up my match fitness. It is just great to be back out there and my knee felt good.”
Launchbury has not played for England since the end of 2020. He missed last year’s Six Nations with a fibia stress fracture and suffered knee ligament damage in his fifth comeback match for Wasps but he is not thinking about a call-up for the latter stages of this year’s tournament.
“I am just looking forward to repaying Wasps for looking after me so well,” said Launchbury, the club captain. “I was out of action for a long period and you feel guilty when you are injured. There is no pressure on me. We are in a tough block of games which make up a huge part of our season and that is what I am focusing on.
“I have been in contact with England at various times since my injury. I have been part of the setup for some time and they checked in on me, but they are pretty busy at the moment.”
Launchbury used his time during his rehab to think about the future having turned 30 two weeks before he was injured in Bath, reassessing his ambitions.
“I was enjoying my rugby before the injury, but being out of the game for so long made me realise that time is ticking by,” he said. “I am the wrong side of 30 and I want to make the next few years count. I do not want to be an old player who used to be half decent but someone who pushes everyone.
“I am in good shape physically and I have the bit between my teeth. I have been a rubbish spectator for the last nine months. I had to stand up when I was in the replacements’ area because I could not sit down. I did as much as I could with the club, but when I felt I was a long way from playing I kept out of the way a little bit.”
Launchbury’s return is timely for Wasps who in some matches this season have been without 19 players. Dan Robson, Paolo Odogwu and Malakai Fekitoa are also back with Jack Willis taking part in training and a club which has spent most of the season in the bottom half of the table plots a late assault on the top four.
“It has been a brilliant season in the Premiership,” said Launchbury, who scored yesterday in the thriller against Exeter. “There have been some close, memorable games. It is a truly competitive league and while we like to see running rugby and teams scoring lots of tries, grit and determination have to be the blueprint.
“Show that and you are able to express the talent you have. You can have all the ability, but if you turn up flat you will struggle to get it out. We have had some good recent home wins against Leicester and Saracens and we are looking to get better.
“We think we can do that with people coming back and the chance to get some continuity. We feel a huge responsibility as a group and we must take the opportunity in the coming weeks to move up the table.”