It smells like team spirit at Wasps
WASPS A kicked off their Premiership Shield campaign with a 26-22 defeat to Northampton Wanderers at Franklin’s Gardens.
The visiting Black and Golds had 11 senior players in their squad and three of them scored tries through captain Gaby Oghre, Tim Cardall and Owain James. Wasps A’s other try, the first of the evening, was registered by Academy scrum-half Henry Clement.
Wasps reporter BOBBY BRIDGE was there in the stands and here he tells us what was learned from the encounter...
Rolling up some momentum
Wasps’ rolling maul game is strong at first and second team level. This week Dai Young praised forwards coach Andy Titterrell for the work he has done in that department, with three of their tries on Saturday against Agen coming from mauls and on Monday night, Oghre profited from a power forwards drive.
It’s a real shame that in the final passages of play Wasps A couldn’t make it stick at lineout time.
Big Jeff’s mixed bag
Having endured a difficult introduction to English rugby, especially at scrum time, all eyes were on Jeff Toomaga-Allen, the biggest name on display from either side on Monday night.
With more than 100 Super Rugby appearances for the Hurricanes under his belt, this must have been a chastening comedown for the big tighthead to run out at a sparsely populated stadium in midweek. Wasps A absolutely dominated at scrum time and big Jeff more than played his part in gaining the upper hand in that department. He was up against a 21-year-old in Toby Trinder, who is around 15kg lighter than Wasps’ Kiwi and has just two senior substitute appearances to his name - but you can only beat what is in front of you and he managed that with aplomb.
However, defensively the 29-yearold’s contribution remains sketchy. Smells like team spirit
The team spirit among the Wasps boys is strong. It was great to see the likes of Dan Robson, Michael Le Bourgeois, Jack and Tom Willis, Tommy Taylor and Thomas Young among the senior players who were there to support their team-mates.
Much was said about how close Wasps had grown as a group over the summer. They’re the kind of sounds you hear from most clubs during an extended pre-season period but Wasps appear to be true to their word. A oneclub mentality is key and we saw last season how beneficial the Premiership Shield can be for building momentum.
Having their mates up there in the stands as part of that helps ensure there isn’t a big disconnect between the senior games and the A league fixtures.
Full-back fight is on
Owain James is a star in the making. He might not yet have the physicality required to be a regular Premiership player at this moment in time, but he has some serious quality.
His soft hands and balance saw him twice light up the second half taking low balls around his ankles with unerring ease. On one such occasion he gathered a kick ahead tight to the touchline inside his own 22 before clearing up to half-way with barely a metre to play with. His try also required plenty of finishing off but he managed it emphatically. Matteo Minozzi and Rob Miller are Wasps’ senior options at full-back with Marcus Watson also an option, but on the evidence of Monday night, the Academy product is in the mood to elbow his way into the battle. Morris the machine
I was really impressed with Ben Morris at Franklin’s Gardens. Signed from Nottingham last summer, he made 19 first-team appearances last term but has featured only three of Wasps’ 10 games so far this term, with none of those appearances coming in the Premiership.
The guy tackles like a man possessed and is quickly back up on to his feet, looking for the next way to influence the game. He takes the same appetite into the breakdown, expending plenty of energy doing the dog work of hitting rucks.
Locks looking to soften Launchbury loss
With James Gaskell possibly out for three months and fears circulating over the severity of Joe Launchbury’s calf injury suffered against Agen, Wasps are in a sticky spot when it comes to their second row. Charlie Matthew and Will Rowlands are the most likely contenders to feature against Exeter Chiefs.
Now Marcus Garratt’s retirement is confirmed, Thibaud Flament, Tim Cardall and Theo Vukasinovic are the other options in Wasps’ second row and we saw the latter two pack down at Franklin’s Gardens.
Cardall has already made five senior appearances this term across three competitions scoring against his former club during September’s Premiership Cup visit to Northampton. He repeated the trick on Monday night charging down a clearance kick before falling on the loose ball to score. The young lock got through a truck-load of work, he was very noticeable around the park. Vukasinovic, signed from Loughborough Students in the summer, appears to be a real athlete.
Useful outing for Searle
Along with Toomaga-Allen, Billy Searle’s involvement on Monday was perhaps one of the highest profile from a Wasps A point of view. Distribution to him was a mixed bag yet he coped admirably with a few balls fired at his ankles and he persisted with his style of play trying to trigger the backline. While none of them were easy opportunities, Searle will be disappointed to have converted only one of the tries, he sets such high standards with his goal kicking.