Ali’s rare start as Gopperth set for a home farewell
ALI Crossdale returns to Wasps’ starting line-up for the first time in 13 front-line games for tonight’s clash with Sale Sharks (7.45pm).
Signed from Saracens ahead of the current season, the 24-year-old got off to a fast start in Black and Gold, scoring twice on his debut against Bristol Bears in September.
But Crossdale hasn’t featured in the Premiership or Europe since the Heineken Champions Cup defeat to Munster in January, with his only appearances coming in the Premiership Rugby Cup.
Wasps have experimented with winger Zach Kibirige and fly-half Jacob Umaga at full-back - both of whom featured there against Lyon in last weekend’s European Challenge Cup semi-final defeat to Lyon neither make the squad for the return to league action.
The only other changes come on the bench as Rob Miller is selected in a Premiership squad for the first time in nearly two months while Paolo Odogwu is an option from the bench after missing out in France.
There will be one final outing for Jimmy Gopperth at the CBS Arena as a home player ahead of his switch to Leicester Tigers this summer. It will be his 155th Wasps appearance since joining the club in 2015 at the same time Lee Blackett first arrived as a coach.
The head coach said: “I think everyone will remember the big moments he’s come up with, within the big games. For me it’s not that. It’s when you go through the bad times. My first season here, we didn’t get off to the greatest of starts, the way he backed everything we did, the way he was really positive, he drove the energy, and before you know it, we go and win 10 out of 11 games and find ourselves third in the league from not starting the season [well].
“I remember getting to the final and the following year losing five on the bounce, going back four or five years ago, during that period he was brilliant. Just his positivity, his energy. That’s what people won’t see. We will always remember the Exeter kick, there’s several others, Toulouse away, Gloucester away, kicks right at the death where he has to kick it to win or draw.
“For me personally, how he has always backed me, always backed his team-mates and everyone in the environment is a thing I’ll always remember. And I really go hope the fans send him and several others off in the past way possible at the weekend. Hopefully we get a good result for them as well.”
Malakai Fekitoa will also play his final home game for the club but there will be no playing send off for Thomas Young and Vaea Fifita - the latter being one of just three listed unavailable players along with Rodrigo Martinez and Ben Harris. WASPS: 15. Ali Crossdale, 14. Francois Hougaard, 13. Malakai Fekitoa, 12. Jimmy Gopperth, 11. Josh Bassett; 10. Charlie Atkinson,
9. Dan Robson; 1. Tom West, 2. Gabriel Oghre,
3. Biyi Alo, 4. Joe Launchbury, 5. Elliott Stooke, 6. Brad Shields, 7. Jack Willis, 8. Alfie Barbeary. Replacements: 16. Dan Frost, 17. Robin Hislop, 18. Elliot Millar-mills, 19. James Gaskell, 20. Tom Willis, 21. Will Porter, 22. Rob Miller, 23. Paolo Odogwu