England captain Chris Robshaw hopes that rugby players aren't forced to stay away from the fans after the recent attack on Chris Ashton.

The Saracens winger was attacked with a glass during a night out with his girlfriend in a London nightclub on Saturday, but managed to escape unharmed.

His international teammate Robshaw wants an improved relationship between the players and the fans and insists that the sport must find the right balance.

"What people love about rugby is that they can still see you after a game having a drink with some mates, or going out for dinner," said Robshaw. "That's the beauty of the sport, that we are connected [with the public].

"It's about finding the right balance - as soon as you lose that touch and isolate the players, it wouldn't be great for the game.

"The amount of people who get pleasure from having the odd interaction with players from time to time, in the street or in a restaurant or in a pub, far outweighs the odd bad incident."

Robshaw's Harlequins travel to Leicester Tigers on Saturday.