Wasps can’t keep up with the rest
WASPS want five-day turnarounds scrapped in Europe after being handed a nightmare start to the Champions Cup.
Dai Young’s side will travel to Ulster for the opening game of the tournament on Friday calling for the organisers to play fair in future, having had precious little time to recover from Sunday’s Premiership 38-19 defeat at Saracens.
It is a scenario which led Young to rest his captain Joe Launchbury for the trip to Allianz Park and one which could leave Wasps playing catch-up in their group in a tournament in which they have reached the knockout stages for the past three seasons.
“Is it unfair? Yes it is. You can’t say it isn’t, with them having seven days and us five. But you have to get on with it and there’s no point whingeing about it,” said Young.
“If I voice huge negatives, that seeps through to the players and the squad. I won’t accept that we won’t play well because it’s a fiveday turnaround. I made that pretty clear to the players. It’s for people above us to put that out.
“It’s not ideal, it’s not fair and it has obviously REPORTS put us at a disadvantage, but we have to deal with it, go there and give it our best shot. I believe our best shot can be enough.
“I get it’s not easy and there are a lot of stakeholders in there that people are trying to keep happy. It’s not easy to get right. But we need to avoid these five-day turnarounds. That’s pretty obvious for everybody, not just us.”
Scarlets face the same logjam in round two when they take on Bath five days after Sunday’s opener against Toulon.
They made representations to organisers European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) when the schedule was released but had an appeal for a rethink rejected.
“We asked could it be revised but it stayed the same,” said Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac.
Ulster will be in the same boat in December in between back-to-back games with EPCR, whose chairman Simon Halliday highlighted a commitment to player welfare by scrapping qualification play-offs for the Champions Cup at the launch, were forced to defend the scheduling yesterday. “Champions Cup and Challenge Cup matches are scheduled on the basis that clubs are available to play on the fifth day following a previous fixture,” said a spokesman.
“This is a situation that EPCR looks to avoid but when venue availability, domestic calendars and broadcast schedules for the entire season are taken into account, it is not always possible.”
The Kingspan Stadium was available on Saturday and Sunday to host the Wasps game but, with both Ulster and broadcasters BT Sport wanting a Friday night fixture, it was signed off.
Wasps will have Launchbury back to lead them against the 1999 champions and are hopeful England team-mate Nathan Hughes and stand-off Jimmy Gopperth will be fit to return after missing the Saracens match through injury.
“They will have to come through a fitness test tomorrow but we’re pretty confident,” said Young.
Ulster will be without Lions utility back Jared Payne because of the headache issues which ended his tour to New Zealand early. The KiwiHarlequins. born Irishman has not played since and there is still no return date.
Leicester, who launch their campaign in Paris against Dan Carter’s Racing 92 on Saturday, have stood down their back row Dominic Ryan for three months because of recurrent concussion symptoms.
Sale second-row Josh Beaumont has been ruled out for three months with a torn bicep.
BRENDAN VENTER, who works for both South Africa and Italy as a defence consultant, will assist the Springboks on their autumn tour but will sit out the Azzurri match on November 25.
BATH stand-off Freddie Burns was last night banned for three weeks after being sent off for a tip tackle on Worcester’s Josh Adams.
We have to give it a shot but it’s not fair