The Harlequins captain will make his return on Saturday’s table-topping clash with Saracens at Wembley.
Harlequins stand-in skipper George Robson believes the return of captain Chris Robshaw is the perfect fillip ahead of Saturday’s Aviva Premiership table-topping clash with Saracens at Wembley.
Robshaw, 25, returns to bolster the Quins pack for the first time since captaining England to second place in the Six Nations with revenge on the menu for The Stoop sidewith the clash marking the start of a crucial period for Harlequins and Saracens as they battle to make the Aviva Premiership Final on 26 May, at Twickenham.
Sarries, who sit second by three points, ended their ten-match winning streak at the start of the season with a 19-11 win at Twickenham in December – Quins old boy David Strettle scoring the only try.
Quins’ other England internationals – Jordan Turner-Hall and Mike Brown – both returned to Premiership action last time out in the 14-6 win over Bath while Robshaw was given an extended break.
But director of rugby Conor O’Shea will need his talisman marshalling his pack on Saturday and lock Robson believes Robshaw’s return can help avenge their Twickenham loss with conditions tailor-made for Quins’ brand of running rugby.
“It will be great to have and Chris Robshaw back in the side, it give us a buzz, that little lift,” he said.
“The same goes for Mike Brown and Jordan Turner-Hall. And let’s not forget we’ve got a lot of quality who have been here all along with the likes of Danny Care and Nick Easter in a Quins shirt.
“It’s going to be a completely different vibe to Twickenham, it’s a great atmosphere to play in and different crowds offer different things.
“The last clash was in mid-winter whereas hopefully the sun is going to be shining this weekend and we can put on a show, I’m really looking forward to it.”
As second face off against first, Saturday’s clash at Wembley could well be repeated back at Twickenham on May 26th, should these two sides meet again in the Aviva Premiership final.
And Robson admits Quins cannot afford to finish outside the top two and miss out on a home play-offs semi-final.
“We have got to end up in that top two – we want the home semi-final but we’re not looking that much further than this game at the moment,” he added.
“Both teams have a huge amount of respect for each other, Saracens have proven time and time again over the past two years with what they’ve achieved that they are a quality side.
“There’s a lot at stake for sure, this is the business end of the season but we just have to look at what we can control about it.”
If you buy a ticket for this year’s Aviva Premiership Final on 26 May you will receive a free rugby shirt. Go to www.premiershiprugby.com/freeshirt to buy yours
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