So pleased I kept the faith in Wasps, says Joe Launchbury

Joe Launchbury has been used to low key ends to seasons after returning from Six Nations duty over the years, but Wasps are in their best position to win a trophy in eight years and the England lock intends to make the most of it.
“It’s nice to have something to play for at this time of the season,” he exclusively told The Rugby Paper. “There were times when I came back after the Six Nations and there wasn’t a lot to play for. To be firing in two competitions is hugely exciting.”
The last time Wasps added to their trophy cabinet was in 2008 when Lawrence Dallaglio lifted the Premiership at Twickenham beating Leicester in the final.
That was the former England captain’s last game for the club and the end of a glorious era.
The club eventually nearly went into administration and results on the pitch were far from ideal with an injury ravaged squad losing game after game.
But 2012 was the year Launchbury, then 20, broke into the team alongside Elliot Daly, Christian Wade and Billy Vunipola and they kept the club up.
Since then they have gone from strength to strength with Dai Young in charge of rugby, while the arrival of owner Derek Richardson has made them one of the richest clubs in Europe.
There were glimpses of what they can do last season with a honourable Champions Cup quarter-final defeat at Toulon but they have reached another level this season to be genuine contenders on both European and domestic fronts.
Winning nine of their last ten league games, they look set for their first Premiership semi-finals since 2008 but it is in Europe that they have made the biggest waves, topping the ‘Pool of Death’ with five resounding wins against Toulon, Leinster and Bath.
They will take on Exeter in the quarter-finals at the Ricoh Arena next Saturday and, fresh from his Grand Slam heroics, Launchbury is savouring the moment.
“A home quarter-final is a huge statement of how far we’ve come. It’s been a sharp turn around but there’s been a lot of hard work to be where we are now.  Credit has to go to Derek for taking the club out of debt but also to Dai and the rest of the coaching staff for building such a good squad.
“I’m only 24 but I’m one of the longest serving in the squad. The club means a lot to me and seasons like this shows it was worth showing faith in the club,” he said.
“We’re sitting in a good position but it means nothing to be here at the start of April. You have to be there come the end of May.”
Wasps’ performances in the Champions Cup have been of the highest standards and demolitions of Leinster and Toulon in December laid the perfect platform for their campaign.
But two weeks later, they came crashing down when Exeter taught them a lesson up front at the Ricoh, scoring four tries from driving mauls in a resounding 41-27 defeat.
But Launchbury, who missed that game due to a hamstring strain, reckons Wasps are a different beast four months on, saying: “Playing a home European Cup quarter-final is enough to get you going– it’s the reason you play the game.
“We maybe lacked a bit of consistency in the league at the start of the season but we seemed to always save our best performances for the Champions Cup.
“We’ve managed to transfer that to the Premiership in recent weeks so it’s important to return to the European Cup and perform once more.
“We were very poor that day at the Ricoh. Exeter beat us up with their forward orientated game and really dominated us. That’s an area we’ll have to be strong at.
“It was a tough game to watch but we’ve come a long way since and the way we’ve been playing in recent times has been great to see.
“It’s important to learn from your losses and that’s something that we maybe haven’t done as well as we should have in the past.
“Losing to Gloucester a few weeks back where we didn’t play well was another lesson but since then the boys have been brilliant.”
Since making his England debut in 2012, Launchbury has been an integral part of the England set-up starting 23 of the 28 games he played under Stuart Lancaster.
He started in the engine room again for Eddie Jones’ first game in charge against Scotland but a hamstring injury and the emergence of George Kruis and Maro Itoje put his position under threat.
He missed the Ireland game and found himself on the bench for the last two games against Wales and France. But, while he recognises the impact the Saracens pair had on England’s pack, he intends to prove he is still the man for the job and hopes to regain his shirt for the tour of Australia in June.
He added: “I really enjoyed the Six Nations and to get a Grand Slam is something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.
“It was disappointing from a personal perspective to miss out on the Ireland game through injury but George and Maro have done really well.
“Saying that, I really want to get my starting shirt back. That’ll mean playing well for Wasps and that’s what I intend to do.”
NICK VERDIER