The truth behind Joe Launchbury's latest omission as Wasps' lose three players

Wasps scrum-half Dan Robson will have ankle surgery that will rule him out of England’s November test matches and it is looking increasingly likely that second row Joe Launchbury will follow him onto the operating table to solve a recurring knee problem that has kept him out tomorrow night’s Heineken Cup clash with holder Leinster in Dublin.

Robson confirmed today that he will need surgery on the ankle after being injured against Gloucester and expects to be sidelined until January while Launchbury is set to see a specialist again about his problem. Robson tweeted: “The highs and lows of rugby. Gutted to be out for a while but surgeon has advised me I will come back stronger. Thanks for all your messages of support. Op tomorrow then the road to recovery begins.”

England lock Launchbury, the Wasps captain, has missed three games due to the injury and had an injection that was hoped to allow him to face Leinster.

However, he was missing from the team line-up for Dublin and as Dai Young, the Wasps director of rugby, has made clear, another injection is not possible.

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Young explained: “We don’t envisage him having another injection, we’ve gone through that. The next thing will be going in and having a clear out, which will be weeks not months, if we can avoid that, that’s what everyone wants to avoid.”

Joe Simpson starts at scrumhalf for Wasps who are waiting to discover the fate of No.8 Nathan Hughes whose appearance for punching at a Rugby Football Union hearing last night was halted due to an issue. That appears to have been a tweet by the player from the hearing in Coventry saying “what a joke” as he faced a charge of punching Gloucester’s Lewis Ludlow.

Hughes could be banned for six weeks for the punch but if his tweet was the reason for the delay then the ban could be even longer.