England international Joe Launchbury to make Wasps return against Toulouse

England lock Joe Launchbury is set to make a comeback for his Aviva Premiership club Wasps after recovering from a calf injury.

The 25-year-old missed the Aviva Premiership encounters against Newcastle Falcons and Leicester Tigers and there were some serious doubts raised over his participation in the starting stages of Six Nations 2017 for England.

Launchbury will now captain Wasps in key Round 5 European Champions Cup encounter against Toulouse at Ricoh Arena on Saturday.

However, his England team-mate James Haskell will miss out on the clash after a head injury restricted his comeback game against Leicester Tigers to just 36 seconds but is expected to be fit for the next round's clash against Zebre. Joe Simpson is set to make his 200th appearance for the club on Saturday.

Wasps boss Dai Young believes his team will have their task cut out against the Top 14 team.

“These are the big games players dream of competing in. A must-win clash against the four-time European Champions, in front of a big home crowd, with a place in the European Quarter Finals on the line.

“We have enjoyed our run in the Aviva Premiership, but that will count for nothing as we return to Europe, in what is ultimately a Cup Final for us, with three teams tied on 13 points in Pool 2.

“Toulouse are one of the true giants in European Rugby. Nothing short of an 80-minute performance will be good enough against a team full of internationals. We were pleased with the draw in Toulouse but we need to back that up with a home win on Saturday. It’s a fantastic challenge and one that we are all relishing.”

Wasps team:

15. Kurtley Beale, 14. Christian Wade, 13. Elliot Daly, 12. Jimmy Gopperth, 11. Josh Bassett, 10. Danny Cipriani, 9. Joe Simpson; 1. Matt Mullan, 2. Ashley Johnson, 3. Marty Moore, 4. Joe Launchbury (c)
5. Kearnan Myall, 6. Thomas Young, 7. Guy Thompson, 8. Nathan Hughes

Replacements: 16. Edd Shervington, 17. Simon McIntyre, 18. Phil Swainston, 19. Matt Symons, 20. James Gaskell, 21. Dan Robson, 22. Kyle Eastmond, 23. Frank Halai