WASPS whipper snapper nines are helping drive Dan Robson's bid for further international honours now he's been brought in from the cold by Eddie Jones.
Robson, who has seven caps and came off the bench to play a pivotal role in England's dramatic extra-time Autumn Nations Cup final win over France last month, has eyes on the Six Nations but must first ensure he keeps his No.9 shirt at Wasps. The emergence of scrum-half tyros Will Porter, 22, and Sam Wolstenholme, 21, has added to the competition already being provided by the more experienced Ben Vellacott, 25, but it is a situation 28-year-old Robson is relishing as he takes his game to new levels.
Robson told The Rugby Paper: “It's definitely an exciting time for the club and it ensures I'm staying sharp because ‘Ports', Ben and Sam are all snapping at my heels. Sam's come in at times and never had a bad game, while Will's played well recently, so there are two young lads in the mix and it's great to have so many scrum-half options at Wasps.
“It's a bit of a nightmare selection-wise for our coaches but with all these games coming thick and fast and going back into Europe again now, the more players we've got fit and firing can only put us in a better position and I'm really enjoying the competition. “It's been making me feel a bit old seeing our 8, 9 and 10 combination of Alfie Barbeary (20), Ports and Charlie Atkinson (19) going out there recently all fresh-faced and young, but the way they've settled in and really taken the team by the scruff of the neck is so pleasing to see and it gives you a bit more confidence as well from being in a winning team.”
Robson added: “Hopefully, it pushes me to be better, pushes the other boys harder and puts pressure on all of us because it's a positive thing to have that competition. For these guys to be performing how they are, at the level they're at, is brilliant for Wasps. “Getting that little bit older, I'm enjoying the responsibility of looking after these lads and making sure they're going in the right direction and being there if they need anything.
“Lee Blackett (DoR) talked about it being a bit of a gamble playing Charlie at fly-half against the Dragons in Europe recently, but having Jimmy Gopperth outside him and me inside meant we could help him through that game. We found out pretty quickly that he didn't need much guidance and that goes for all the boys who've recently been given chances.”
Having striven so hard for Test selection, Premiership finalist Robson capped a fine six months in December by adding an Autumn Nations Cup winners medal to the one he had earned by helping England clinch the Six Nations title in Italy a few weeks earlier.
Emerging as a replacement with England trailing 19-12 to the French in a game that was slipping away, Robson added some trademark urgency to the attack, helping to set up the position from which Luke Cowan-Dickie drove over for a try that enabled Owen Farrell to level the scores before England's skipper delivered the winning kick in overtime.
Robson said: “It was always a challenge for me to push back into that environment and that squad and the last six months has been massively pleasing, both with the way things have gone at Wasps and for me to get those few extra caps and more game time. “Just to be training with England and be able to put my mark on certain things has been great. I felt I'd been getting to that stage a little bit in 2019 before my injury so it was nice to go back in there last year, crack on with my game and really enjoy it.
“You always want to be in those pressure situations and I'd probably not had that in an England shirt coming off the bench before. So, it was obviously nice to get on against France with the game on the line and it felt like a bit of a win for me personally to be able to influence things a bit in that pressure moment and help get us over the line.
“You can never sit back and relax with Eddie Jones, though, because he's always watching, always has things for us to work on and ensure that we're playing as well as we can do for our clubs to earn that position for our country. It's a big couple of weeks coming up for Wasps in Europe now and then we'll see what happens with England after that.”
Having made a perfect start in Europe with bonus-point wins over Dragons and Montpellier, Wasps head for the return fixture away at Montpellier on Saturday knowing another big win will offer them a chance to beat off mighty Leinster and win their group.
Robson added: “Europe's always been a big target for us, especially with our internationals coming back and getting picked for that first match against Dragons away. We wanted to make a statement and get back to winning ways after a slow start in the league, so we did that and then did a job against Montpellier to put ourselves in a good position. “It's in our hands now, to be, and we know that another positive result next week will put us in the right place for the quarter-finals. Montpellier will be a hard place to go, though, and with their change of coach you just never know what might happen, but we're aware of all the threats they have and won't be taking anything for granted.”
