A milestone appearance for McIntyre
‘IMMENSE pride’ of a personal milestone is secondary for prop Simon McIntyre as he bids to fire Wasps to a first win in three Aviva Premiership games.
The 27-year-old is set to make his 150th Wasps appearance against Worcester Warriors at the Ricoh Arena tomorrow afternoon in a must-win game following losses at Leicester Tigers and Sale Sharks.
“I’ve really enjoyed my rugby here and when I look back it’s something I am immensely proud of to achieve this milestone at this great club,” said the loose head.
“It wasn’t a milestone I set out to do or expected to reach, it’s just crept up on me.
“As immensely proud as I am, it’s about the result as a team and the performance.
“Nothing else really matters apart from winning this week and steadying the ship after a couple of near losses and disappointing results.”
Wasps’ hopes of achieving a top-two finish and with it seal a home semi-final have disappeared but their topfour destiny is in their own hands with three rounds remaining.
“We’re in the top four, it’s ours to lose,” added McIntyre. “The power is in our hands to go out in the last three games and really put on a show.
“We’ve got two home games and one away game, the power is in our hands.
“It’s going to be a tough game against Worcester.
“They’re showing good signs at the moment that they have improved in certain areas and with us coming off the back of two losses, we’ve got to focus on ourselves.” WASPS director of rugby Dai Young is hoping the ‘Ricoh factor’ can play a pivotal role in getting his side’s playoff mission back on track.
Back-to-back single-point losses at Leicester Tigers and Sale Sharks has left Wasps clinging onto their top four position with three Aviva Premiership rounds remaining.
But successive home games Worcester Warriors and Northampton Saints presents the black-and-golds with a huge opportunity to cement their place in the end-of-season knock-out games. “We have two massive games at home now,” said Young.
“We are hoping the Ricoh factor will be a big plus for us, we are hoping to have a big crowd there at the Ricoh on the weekend because they do play a massive part in it, the boys enjoy playing at the Ricoh and we enjoy the support we get and hopefully they come in their numbers and get right behind their team.”
Both the 16-15 loss at Welford Road and the 28-27 loss at the AJ Bell Stadium were shrouded in controversy as in the aftermath of both games, opposition players were cited and suspended – meaning red card offences were missed by offenders Nick Malouf (Tigers) and Mike Haley (Sharks). Another feature of the defeats was Wasps’ inability to convert strong leads into victories – a habit Young’s side need to kick with games fast running out. “As difficult as it was, they are games we should have won,” said Young.
“We know deep down they were two games that have slipped through our fingers, we don’t want to take anything away from both Leicester or Sale but those games were there to be won.
“We were not ruthless enough we let good leads slip away. I can’t knock the effort or commitment in both games the effort and commitment was there and we have played some good stuff on occasions to get ourselves in commanding positions but they are games that we really need to nail and finish.”
Up first at the Ricoh Arena is the visit of Worcester Warriors, fresh from claiming a 27-13 victory over play-off chasing