'I've been in conversations with Steve, we've always kept in touch'

Former Wasps lock Joe Launchbury has signalled his intent to force his way into the England World Cup squad later this year despite taking a sabbatical in Japanese rugby. The 70-Test veteran is currently recovering from a broken hand sustained in his full debut in Japan’s League One for Toyota Verblitz, the club he began training with in December after the demise of his beloved Wasps.

Launchbury, 31, is ineligible for his country during his six-month stint in the Far East, which ends in May before he returns to England to join Harlequins on July 1 and has revealed he has been in regular contact with new England head coach Steve Borthwick in recent weeks.

Far from considering his Test career to be over, he hopes to earn a recall this summer ahead of the global gathering in France starting in September. “I don’t think you ever lose that ability, or that desire, to play international rugby and it’s certainly still there for myself,” he said, speaking from his home in Nagoya, west of Tokyo.

“I understand being over here now is making it harder for myself and missing the Six Nations is making it harder again, but it is still something I am very passionate about. I have been in conversations with Steve; he is someone I have worked with for a number of years. We have always kept in touch and we certainly have over the last few weeks.

“For me now, short-term it’s about getting back from this hand injury - hopefully I will be back playing in a few weeks’ time - and then from there, whatever happens, happens.”

With the budgets of Premiership clubs severely squeezed, Launchbury believes more players will tread the same path as he and new Toyota Verblitz teammate Jamie Shillcock, the former Worcester fly-half. “Clearly you have got to be playing in England if you want to play for England, so if you are at that stage of your career and have those ambitions, it is decided for you.

“But a great friend of mine, James Gaskell, is playing for the other Toyota club, Shokki Shuttles, and coming from playing 30-odd games in the Premiership to here and experiencing a different way of life, he is hoping to stay for a few years to come. It is not only beneficial for the Japanese league but also guys with some experience in England where it’s a great time for them to come out and try something different.”