James Haskell out of Wasps' clash with Toulouse due to concussion
Wednesday 11 January 2017 16:30, UK
James Haskell has been ruled out of Wasps' European Champions Cup clash with Toulouse on Saturday with concussion.
Haskell lasted less than a minute on his return to action last weekend when a heavy hit on Leicester's Freddie Burns led to him having to be removed from the game.
The England flanker was playing for the first time since England's summer tour to Australia, having undergone surgery on a serious toe injury in the meantime.
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Wasps hope to have Haskell back in their squad for the clash with Zebre next weekend, giving him a chance to prove his fitness ahead of England's Six Nations defence.
"James is fine within himself, but he took a significant bang to the head on Sunday and we don't feel it right to push him to meet the tight deadline for a six-day turnaround," Wasps director of rugby Dai Young said.
"We would obviously all like for James to be involved in our big game against Toulouse, James included, but the most important thing is for him to feel completely right and under no pressure to make the game this weekend.
"This is first time he has suffered concussion and we have told him to take extra time, with the aim of being fit for Zebre in the final pool round."
The news is better of three of Wasps other England players - Joe Launchbury, Tommy Taylor and Elliot Daly - who are all in contention for the Ricoh Arena clash.
Haskell is one of a host of England forwards under an injury cloud ahead of the Six Nations. Chris Robshaw was ruled out of the tournament on Monday after shoulder surgery while Billy Vunipola is unlikely to feature as he continues his recovery from knee surgery in November.
Joe Marler will miss the start of the tournament after suffering a broken leg while there are also doubts around fellow prop Mako Vunipola's availability for England's opener against France on February 4.
Saracens lock George Kruis is recovering from a fractured cheekbone but director of rugby Mark McCall has said he should be "fine" for the Six Nations.
