Lee: Sarries win all about our character

WASPS head coach Lee Blackett praised the character from his side as they ground out a win at Saracens on Saturday.

Seven penalties and a conversion from Jimmy Gopperth and a Tom Willis try secured a fourth successive away win to keep them in the top four with four rounds remaining.

Here’s what Blackett had to say after the 28-18 win...

Summing up emotions

“That was about character, and we’d obviously made 14 changes to our starting XV. I said before the game it’s a great test of where the squad was. I am pleased with how we ground out the win, especially how we started, unfortunately we started poorly, just as we did at Bath. We were 7-0 down but the way we fought back into it was a massive credit to the players and the leaders out on the field.”

Captain Jimmy Gopperth on his 100th Wasps appearance

“We joined at the same time, he’s incredible for us over the last five years, he’s led us really well. It doesn’t matter where you play Jimmy (he had a brief spell at 15 in the game), he always seems to do a job.

“And I thought he led us really well as captain.

“His decisions when to take the three points were all on him, i and I thought he led us really well during the whole game.”

Teenager Charlie Atkinson’s high tackle from Owen Farrell

“Charlie is up and talking. You know Owen he is physical but the didn’t mean it. We know Owen is not that type of player – he plays on the edge but genuinely never goes over that edge. He got that slightly wrong.”

A big difference in experience on the two team sheets

“I think they were just excited, that was the main thing, excited to see where the squad were, it was a great test to see us against guys with British and Irish Lions in the side. It looks like the ‘quarter-final-ofEurope’ Saracens team.

“So it was a good test, a good eye-opener to exactly where we were so I am really pleased.”

Seven wins from eight as Wasps head coach...

“That seemed like a long six minutes at the end.

“We’re really pleased the way we’re going, probably the big word that sums it all up today would be character, what we showed, our determination, there’s a lot of things. It’s pleasing but we’ve just got to focus on Leicester [on Wednesday], we can’t get ahead of ourselves.”