Young demands Wasps put the heat on Sarries

WASPS will be looking to extend their Premiership winning run to seven when they host Saracens at the Ricoh Arena tomorrow, with Dai Young urging his players to take the game to the visitors.

Saracens have lost just two of their last 12 encounters with Dai Young’s men.

The black-andgolds were dominant against Bath last Friday but will have to contend without injured pair Kyle Eastmond and Josh Bassett.

Their task is however made easier with their opponents’ recent poor form, with two wins from their last two Premiership matches coming on the back of a seven-match winless run.

Tickets from www.wasps.co.uk start at £24 for adults, while under-10s go free in most areas.

Wasps are priced as slight 11/10 outsiders to continue their winning run, with Saracens favourites at 4/5. The draw is available at 16/1. This translates into the slimmest of deficits at just one point deficit in the handicap market for the black-and-golds. Saracens 38 Wasps

Wasps have started to show why they are considered one of the most exciting teams in the Premiership by scoring 112 points in their last three top-flight matches. But Saracens possess one of the meanest defences in the game and have conceded the second least amount of points this season. By comparison, Dai Young’s men are sixth in the points against table and their rearguard will need to be much stronger than it was against Bath last week if they are to claim a win. Sarries are likely to attempt to pin Wasps deep in their own territory, kick above and behind the wingers with a view to contesting possession in the air and build a score through Owen Farrell’s right boot.

Wasps’ back three will also be tested by Saracens’ aerial bombardment, which stems from the most solid setpiece and most accurate kicking game in the top flight.

You’re going to come unstuck if you try to sit back and contain Sarries

“We have to take the game to them. You’re going to come unstuck if you try to sit back and contain Sarries. We all know about the legendary line-speed which is still there today. You don’t do what they’ve done over the last couple of seasons and have huge weaknesses.

“We have to be at our best but we’re looking forward to it.

“The challenges are not much diffferent to what they are with Sarries we just have to be good to knock them over. We’ve had a couple of good wins but we know this is a big test for us.”

“We’ve done okay recently, the performance in Clermont was good, the Leicester performance was an outstanding one and we were for the most part disappointed some of what we produced against Worcester. We know we can’t be like that this weekend, Wasps’ attack is very dangerous and we’ve got to defend the way we did in the Clermont and Leicester away games.”