WASPS are still hoping to have Tom Rees back on the pitch before the end of the season, but they are refusing to put any pressure on the former RGS Wycombe and England flanker.

After a fabulous pre-season, Rees ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in a pre-season friendly against Agen in August.

The recovery time was put at six to nine months.

Defence coach Rob Hoadley said: “It’s not a conventional injury where you say he’ll come back on this date.

“He’s sitting down and assessing with the physios every week, but I’m not going to put a date on it.

“It’s not fair on him and it’s not fair on people expecting and hoping for him to come back.

“We’re just playing it week by week but we do hope to have him back and firing and contributing to our Premiership campaign.

“We’ll see how it goes, but everyone has got their fingers crossed for him. He’s such a great guy and such a leader.

“We just all hope he can be back out there, for him really as much as for ourselves.”

Rees has just started running in straight lines again as his rehabilitation moves to the next stage, but just because he’s not out there playing at the weekend doesn’t mean he has no influence.

Hoadley said: “He’s always around. I get him out there sometimes doing a bit of coaching with the defence and helping out doing a bit of breakdown work.

“He’s great with the kids, he’s especially taken time with Matt Everard and Sam Jones.

“He still has a great role at the club. He just wants to contribute in any way he can. Coming from the era that he did, he just wants to pass on his knowledge where he can, but most of all he just wants to be on the pitch.”