'It's nice to have a little bundle of joy after the past few months,' says Dan Robson as his new puppy, Bear, arrives at the front-door. Just eight weeks old, the tiny black and brown French bulldog sniffs nervously around his new pals, Buddy and Sophie.
'It feels like he's taken forever to get here,' he explained. 'It's been a tough time with my injury, watching Wasps struggle in the league and losing our old dog Cooper in November. It's a nice feeling when things start to come together. Now we just need a bit of luck.'
One win in 13 made for a miserable Christmas in Coventry.
Dan Robson with his new French bulldog puppy Bear and his other two dogs Buddy and Sophie
For most of it, Robson has had to resign himself to frustrated spectating. The scrum half missed almost three months of rugby —including England's autumn series — after rupturing ligaments in his ankle and fracturing his fibula. He found himself reduced to 'walking' the dogs in a mobility scooter.
'The injury was called a syndesmosis,' he explains, as his partner Liz shows the puppy around the house. 'I had a plate put in and a 'tightrope' put around the ligaments to hold them together.
'That's there for life. It's like a nice little bangle. It's always tough to watch the team when you're injured, but it's even worse when you're losing. You feel helpless.'
Wasps' run has been compounded by rumours of unrest about the club's training facilities, with speculation that the likes of Elliot Daly are heading for the exit.
Robson admitted it's been tough recently with his injuries, while watching Wasps' poor run
Wasps' run has been compounded by rumours Elliot Daly (left) is heading for the exit door
Robson made his comeback on December 23 and plays in Sunday's game against in-form Northampton, which could be the difference between moving up to fifth or being stuck down in ninth in the table. As head coach Dai Young explained, victory is required to keep the side out of 'the smelly stuff'.
'It's the toughest period I've had in four years at Wasps,' said Robson. 'It's new territory but we've spoken about it in depth and we know we're not far off. At the end of the day, when you're in this kind of rut you need a bit of luck. Injuries haven't helped. We've had
