Harlequins boss Gilmore hails fit-again Baxter as effectively a new signing after injury-hit season

Fin Baxter is set to return to full fitness for Harlequins ahead of their Gallagher Premiership opener against Bath, with head coach Jason Gilmore describing the 24-year-old England loosehead as “almost a new recruit” after a foot injury limited him to just seven appearances last season.

Baxter, who has made 81 appearances for the club, last featured in a Champions Cup victory over Bayonne in December before undergoing two operations to remove screws and plates from his foot. The hardware had been aggravating the joint and causing what Gilmore described as a “clunky” sensation, hampering the prop’s recovery each time he was pushed back into action.

“He’s almost a new recruit for us because he missed most of last year,” Gilmore said. “He should feature in our friendly against Edinburgh the week before Bath. He’s back in full training, feeling good and looking good.”

Gilmore acknowledged that pressure to fast-track Baxter back for England’s tour last season had complicated his rehabilitation. “The England stuff came in as well with our staff — they wanted to get him back for the England tour. And he had screws and plates put in his foot, which was aggravating the joint, so when they were pushing it, it was just clunky in his foot. So they’ve taken all of that out, and since they’ve done that, he’s come on really quickly.”

The Harlequins coach was candid about the broader injury toll that undermined the club’s campaign last term, insisting it cannot be repeated. “We’ve got to keep our best players on the pitch. Last year, we had far too much of our salary cap off the field,” he said.

Despite the frustration of a disrupted season, Gilmore suggested the enforced rest may ultimately benefit a player who has accumulated considerable mileage at a young age — including 18 consecutive Test appearances for England. “He’s played a lot of rugby as a young man, and he’s as keen as mustard to get back into it.”