Joe Launchbury© Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

England lock Joe Launchbury feels "fresh" and ready to return after spending six months on the sidelines with a neck injury - and says this year's World Cup was his inspiration during his absence.

Launchbury has been named on the Wasps bench to face Leicester this weekend and is expected to come on as a replacement, having not seen action since last October.

And the 24-year-old admits the Rugby World Cup, which starts on September 18, gave him perfect motivation to get fit after undergoing surgery to decompress a nerve in his neck last December.

"The bigger picture was always to try and get myself back and firing for potential selection for the World Cup," Launchbury told BBC Sport.

"That's always been the carrot throughout the whole injury, but the short-term goal is definitely putting in some performances here at Wasps."

A lot has changed in Launchbury's absence. Wasps, who are pushing for an Aviva Premiership play-off place, were still playing in High Wycombe the last time he appeared in a home league game.

He also missed the entirety of England's autumn series and Six Nations campaign, having been advised to take a prolonged rest before going under the knife.

However, director of rugby Dai Young stated Launchbury has been "excellent" following his return to training and named him among the replacements for the clash with Leicester at the Ricoh Arena.

"It's been a long road to get back to where I am but hopefully I've proved to Dai over the last month that I can put my head into things," Launchbury added via the Guardian.

"I'd be lying if I said it's my favourite place to injure but it's part of rugby. I took a lot of heart from the fact that guys like Tom Johnson and Dan Cole experienced similar injuries to me and are back playing well.

"I feel in a completely different place now. I feel fresh and the parts of my body that felt sore are fine. I don't believe it was a case of wear and tear, I think it was one or two head-on collisions.

"I went into the England camp believing I'd be in contention to play in the November Tests but then we realised it was slightly more serious and that I needed to have the operation. It was a bit of a shock ... I thought maybe a couple of weeks would do it. The surgeon was always extremely positive - it's just been a case of getting my strength back."