IAN McGeechan admitted that Mark van Gisbergen is struggling after being dropped from the England squad.

The Wasps full back looked a certainty to play in the Autumn internationals but a dip in form kept him on the bench for England's matches against Australia and New Zealand and he was then dropped altogether for England's game against Samoa.

Since then, he has also been on the bench for Wasps, coming on against Llanelli but looking low on confidence.

McGeechan said: "It was a mistake that he didn't play against Samoa. It was a huge kick in the teeth for him so he was bound to have found pyschologically that it was a bitter pill to take.

"He's a reactive player and you want to have him playing on his instincts. That's where he's been so good and we'll continue to try and do that.

"It's our job to give Gis his confidence and get him playing well."