England second row Joe Launchbury believes consistency is the key this season after admitting he let his standards slip towards the end of last campaign.
The 22-year-old enjoyed a stellar season, winning his first England cap in November and going on to start all five of his country’s RBS 6 Nations matches.
He also featured on their summer tour to Argentina where Stuart Lancaster’s side became the first to complete the clean sweep in South America – but Launchbury believes he was off form for Wasps as the season drew to a close.
“I’m massively proud of what happened last year. It was a big shock and I was delighted to get my first cap back in November,” he said.
“To play for England was a great high but then a few games before the end of the season I may have let the standards I set slip.
“I was lucky to have a week’s break before Argentina and then had another two to three weeks to build myself back up for the tour. I loved Argentina and we played some great rugby.
“It was good for me to come back and put in a performance and now I need to maintain that standard throughout the year.
“I was a bit disappointed with the way the end of last season unfolded and that’s something we’re trying to work on. We played some great rugby at times and challenged teams at the top half of the table, but let it slip at the end of the season.”
