Le Roux enjoying life with Wasps ‘Bok stars

WASPS full back Willie le Roux deservedly claimed the man-ofthe-match award against Newcastle on Saturday.

The Springbok star was at the heart of most of the hosts’ counterattacking brilliance, and was only denied a try by Ashley Johnson’s forward pass.

Le Roux arrived at the Ricoh following the end of the Japanese League season in February, and has really hit his straps in recent weeks, much to his evident pleasure.

“It clicked nicely for us against Newcastle at the weekend, and the guys had some fun, me included,” he says. “Sometimes the more you try, the more mistakes you make, but things do seem to be starting to work for us at the moment.

“Our defence has been very good in the last few weeks, and our first-phase attack has been too, so things are starting to go well.”

The recent short-term arrival of Nizaam Carr means Wasps have four South Africans in their squad, and le Roux says they have been quick to bond.

“It’s been good having a few Saffas over here and we all enjoy each other’s company,” he says. “When I first arrived, Ashley Johnson looked after me for the first month or so. He passed that job on to me when Juan de Jongh arrived, and now when Nizaam Carr came Juan was the guy to look after him.

“In the week sometimes we speak Afrikaans in the locker room, and we’ve tried to teach the others some words, but on the field it just happens and we all play.

“Ashley and I have come a long way since we were together at the Cheetahs. De Jongh and Carr were enemies back home, as they were Stormers, so it’s different, but it’s been good getting to know them.

“It does make it easier when you arrive somewhere if there’s a couple of guys you know, and I was lucky that it was Ashley who is already a legend here having played 150 times.

“It was nice to start with to be able to give him a call and ask about the ins and outs of things, but I feel very at home here now even though it’s only been nine months.”

Looking ahead to tomorrow’s Premiership clash with bottom-ofthe-table London Irish, le Roux says Wasps must continue to perform to the high level they have reached in recent wins over Harlequins, Northampton and Newcastle in order to return from Reading with the points.

“Every team in this competition is dangerous, especially when they’re playing in front of their home crowd,” he says.

“They’ll put some pressure on us, but if we can get some field position and trap them in their own half we will eventually get a bad kick to capitalise on.

“We have to continue to play our brand of rugby, and not be afraid to give it a crack regardless of where we are on the field – it’s about playing heads-up rugby and seeing where the space is.”

Wasps have named Danny Cipriani on the bench for tomorrow, in line to make his first appearance for the club since sustaining a knee injury against Harlequins in mid-September.

There are two changes to Wasps’ starting back-line from last weekend’s win, with Joe Simpson named at scrum-half and Gaby Lovobalavu at inside centre.

Kyle Eastmond, who made an impressive 40-minute return from injury last Saturday, is following return-to-play protocols after his head injury assessment. In the pack, Carr makes his first Premiership start having impressed from the bench against Newcastle.