Wasps set a marker
It took three attempts but Wasps got their first win of the Gallagher Premiership season after defeating Bath 30-22 at the Ricoh Arena on Sunday. Rugby reporter Bobby Bridge delivers his verdict...
■ Vailanu filling Hughes void
THERE’S something very familiar about Sione Vailanu. The bulky Tongan loves hitting straight, or scooping from the base of a scrum before getting his arm twisted ready for offloads. It was Paul Smith, my predecessor in this role, who compared the ex-Saracens man to Nathan Hughes in his pre-England days.
Vailanu is not the finished article, arguably with players of his and Hughes’ ilk they never will be. Number eights may be evolving with some clubs and countries content to stick another flanker in the back-row combination, but there’s still a place for a wrecking ball presence that Wasps’ new option provides.
Brad Shields and Nizaam Carr are there to do the ‘donkey work,’ as Dai Young put it, allowing Sione to rampage and soften the opposition up.
We also learned he had a chip ahead in his armoury too in the second half. But you’d imagine they’ll not become a regular thing!
■ Scrum ups and downs
Not for the first time this season, Wasps scrum looked formidable before fading away.
Kieran Brookes in particular is looking, week on week, like the player who was a World Cup player for England four years ago. He’s the big dog in the yard.
Will Stuart and Jake Cooper-Woolley are gone, Jeff Toomaga-Allen’s experience is from rugby in a different hemisphere while Jack Owlett and Biyi Alo wait their turn.
Maintaining scrum dominance for 80 minutes is the holy grail for any coach. Especially with the majority of top-level rugby matches seeing 12 front rows feature in games and all the variables that brings.
Zurabi Zhvania, Tommy Taylor and Brookes appear to be Young’s firstchoice, with Ben Harris and Toomaga-Allen waiting in the wings.
Any rotation of Toomaga-Allen would be a bold call. It’s been a challenging start to rugby on these shores as we await his first dominant showing.
■ Robson reminder of international class
Dan Robson’s start to life as captain of Wasps yielded two defeats and a couple of chastening moments. The decision to go for goal with a late penalty against London Irish, rather than the corner, was questioned by some included myself.
Then in round two he was outshone by ex-Wasps player Joe Simpson, who scored twice for new club Gloucester while his opposite number soldiered on for half the game with a knee issue before being substituted.
At the Ricoh Arena on Saturday, it all fell into place for Robson. This was a reminder of what a talent Wasps have in their ranks.
There were a few imperfections but Robson carries a threat. Scoring or creating tries. His delayed pass for Will Rowlands’ try was genius.
Arguably he assisted his own, match-sealing try too. His long, inviting pass teased Aled Brew out of the line giving Tom Cruse the invitation to progress to within metres of the line before completing the ‘one-two’ for a classic scrum-half’s try.
■ Correct captaincy call
A penalty award with time up after a huge, multi-phase defensive set as Bath chased the game presented skipper Robson with another big call.
Go for the corner and push for a bonus point, or call for the tee and give Lima Sopoaga the chance to deny Bath the bonus point and provide the fly-half with a confidenceboosting last say. Television pictures appear to show Dai Young calling for the points and I think the right call was made.
All it would’ve taken was for one penalty to be conceded and present
Rhys Priestland, who had already landed one huge clearance to within five metres of Wasps’ line from deep inside his own half, a chance to strike a blow and potentially break Wasps’ hearts. It was a decision based on circumstance. The win was everything to Wasps.
It provided a mild sense of satisfaction to also deny Bath a losing bonus point. Who knows how important that might be come the final reckoning?
■ It only gets tougher
It was an encouraging victory for Wasps, no doubt about that. Without the services of, for one reason or another, Jack Willis, Joe Launchbury, Ben Vellacott, Thomas Young and McIntyre, they found a way to win despite trailing by six points with 15 minutes remaining.
But this was a Bath team without World Cup stars Sam Underhill, Jonathan Joseph, Anthony Watson, Joe Cokanasiga and Ruaridh McConnochie, South Africa’s Francois Louw and the injured British Lion Taulupe Faletau.
The Premiership is about to get a whole lot stronger in the coming weeks as World Cup talent returns to the club fold.
■ Welcome back, Jimmy
The last word must go to Jimmy Gopperth. His absence is often referenced as a reason for Lima Sopaoga’s struggles for consistency and Wasps’ fortunes in general. That carries with it a fair slice of pressure for the 36-year-old to shoulder.
His latest comeback was a triumphant one. He brought control and purpose to the attack along with his famed game management. The Sopoaga-Gopperth-Fekitoa combination is finally up and running, and it’ll only get better.