Who’ll fly the Wasps nest?
TEN WHO COULD BE MOVING ON TO PASTURES NEW...
WE know that four Wasps players are definitely entering their final weeks with the club - but who else could be leaving this summer?
Jimmy Gopperth (Leicester Tigers), Malakai Fekitoa (Munster), Thomas Young (Cardiff) and Vaea Fifita (Scarlets) have had their next destinations confirmed, and there’s rumours out there that more could follow.
The club do not publicly announce the length of contracts, so to the best of our knowledge, these are the players who we believe might be making a move this summer…
JEFFERY TOOMAGA-ALLEN POSITION: TIGHTHEAD PROP AGE: 31, APPS: 62
The one-time All Blacks international joined from the Hurricanes in 2019 when Wasps lost both Will Stuart and Jake Cooper-woolley. His first season saw him drop into A League rugby but end it playing in a Premiership final.
One Premiership start in 2022 suggested this might be his third and last season, something that appeared to be confirmed at the club’s awards night recently as the prop shared an image on social media of a bottle of champagne with ‘Once a Wasp, Always a
Wasp’ on the label, along with his name and ‘2019-2022.’ A great character with superb hands, but his scrummaging was too often an issue that saw him haemorrhage penalties.
PIETER SCHOLTZ POSITION: TIGHTHEAD PROP AGE: 28, APPS: 9
Biyi Alo is signed up, Vincent Koch and John Ryan are incoming and Elliot Millar-mills is likely to remain, so the South African is likely to be heading on to pastures new. Like Toomagaallen, he was presented with a bottle at the awards night. Showed a willingness to retrain as a loosehead prop as Wasps lost options on the left side of the scrum but is likely to exit Wasps having played under an hour and a half of Premiership rugby.
CAMERON ANDERSON POSITION: FULL-BACK AGE: 22, APPS: 6
The Scottish U20 international was a product of the club’s academy and was promoted to the senior squad this season. His three appearances this season came in the space of a month in the opening two Premiership Cup games before featuring in the home Heineken Champions Cup clash with Munster when Wasps were down to the barebones. The third member of the awards night ‘bottle’ gang.
MICHAEL LE BOURGEOIS POSITION: CENTRE AGE: 31, APPS: 71
The big Jerseyman was one of five players Wasps signed from Championship clubs ahead of the 2018/19 season. When everyone has been fit, ‘Booj’ is often not considered but over his four years with Wasps, he’s seldom been unavailable and has played more than he likely would’ve realistically expected when joining from
Bedford
Blues. Hasn’t started in the Premiership as a starter since New Year’s Day and his only action in the last two months was in the Premiership Cup against Sale. Highly unlikely to remain into next season but had plenty of good days in Black and Gold. You’d hope he’d find another Premiership club.
NIZAAM CARR POSITION: NUMBER EIGHT AGE: 31, APPS: 72
It’s easy to forget about how much we saw of Nemo in the first half of the season as Wasps coped without Alfie Barbeary and Jack Willis.
But now both are fit, along with Tom Willis, we’re just not seeing the popular South African, despite scoring in two Premiership Cup games against Sale and Saracens in March.
Who gets dropped to see him end his sevengame run out of the matchday squad? Given he spent one season away from Wasps before returning for a third spell, it’s hard to imagine him putting pen to paper on a deal that wouldn’t run for at least two seasons.
But is he happy being a
bit-part player when everyone is fit? Wasps will need options next year with Jack Willis and Alfie Barbeary likely to be involved with England.
ROB MILLER POSITION: FULL-BACK/ FLY-HALF
AGE: 32, APPS: 133
All good things must come to an end, and it feels like Miller’s eight-season stay at Wasps is nearing its conclusion.
He’s started only two games this season and only once at fullback, against Bath, when he scored his 22nd Wasps try. Wasps aren’t turning to him to play 15 and they’re well stocked at fly-half next season with Will Haydon-wood joining too.
JAMES GASKELL POSITION: SECOND ROW/LOCK AGE: 32, APPS: 153
Wasps’ lord of the lineout has been a fantastic servant to the club, putting his head in where it hurts for eight seasons at both lock and on the back row. Injuries have hampered him in two of the past three seasons and has made only three Premiership starts this term. With Elliott Stooke and Joe Launchbury the established firstchoice pairing, Tim Cardall and Theo Vukasinovic under contract and Kiran Mcdonald incoming, Gaskell seems likely to be the second row casualty with rumours circling around a possible move to Japan - where he could come up against former Wasps lock Charlie Matthews!
BEN MORRIS POSITION: FLANKER AGE: 30, APPS: 53
Along with Le Bourgeois, a surviving member of the ‘Championship five’ who signed in 2018. The former Nottingham flanker has regularly filled gaps while Wasps have been hit by injuries and international call-ups. But even in this campaign which saw the club rocked by unprecedented player unavailability, Morris has played just 10 times, having suffered a setback himself.
If the deal he signed last year was of the one-year variety, you’d hope he’d remain in the Premiership or at an equivalent level elsewhere because he’s proven to be a capable operator in Black and Gold.
MATTEO MINOZZI POSITION: FULL-BACK AGE: 25, APPS: 35
The lively Italian has played just 32 minutes of rugby this year, and that came in the Premiership Cup.
We understand he has another year on his deal at Wasps but given how out of favour he is, it seems likely both the player and the club will be seeking an end to their association this summer.
Is he happy being a bit-part player? Wasps will need options with Jack Willis and Alfie Barbeary likely to be involved with England..
On Nizaam Carr
MARCUS WATSON POSITION: WINGER/FULL-BACK AGE: 30, APPS: 68
Another player we’ve seen a fair amount of this season, making 17 appearances, but hasn’t featured in the last six. He last signed a new deal in 2020, given his injury record, it would be surprising if that was of the three-year variety. An exciting runner of the ball but his tryscoring potency has reduced in recent years and is down the pecking order across his positions - although his versatility does make retaining his services appealing.