England captain Chris Robshaw has been left out of Harlequins' clash with Gloucester at the Twickenham Stoop tomorrow to ensure he recovers from the physical and mental effort of leading his country in the autumn Tests.
The flanker suffered a gruesome injury over his left eye in the defeat to New Zealand last week but Quins director of rugby Conor O’Shea insist that is not the reason for resting him.
O’Shea said: “Chris will not play against Gloucester because he has just come through a mentally and physically demanding series of Tests and being captain adds to the draining experience. He is being given the next couple of days off and will come back ready for our matches in both the Premiership and Heineken Cup in the coming weeks.
“The left eye is fine – it is a badge of honour.”
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