Back row battle crucial to Wasps revenge mission
BACK ROW bruiser Brad Shields is ready to strike a blow for England as Wasps launch a revenge mission following October’s 52-3 hammering by Leinster.
Shields is one of 14 survivors from the Wasps 23 who were subjected to an eight-try thrashing in Dublin. However, both sides look more evenly matched now, with Wasps boosted by the availability of Joe Launchbury, Nathan Hughes and Dan Robson.
The influential trio were injured last time round and, along with Shields and Elliot Daly, will be keen to lay down a marker having also been selected for the England squad due to begin preparations for the Six Nations opener against Ireland on Saturday week. Shields told The Rugby
Paper: “In every game we’re on a mission but we haven’t been getting the results we’d have liked so we want to put in a performance to be proud of.
“Leinster are the champions and the beauty about playing in Europe is you’re playing against the best and you’re playing against international players. You want to test yourself and this is going to be a hell of a match because of the players on both sides.”
Leinster field an allinternational back row of Rhys Ruddock, Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan, while Wasps boast similar with Shields showcasing his readiness for a crack at Ireland in tandem with Nizaam Carr and fellow England man Hughes.
Shields said: “The back row battle is going to have a big impact on the game and we’ll try to win as much ball as we can there and then try and get over the gain-line.
“We defended pretty well in Dublin in the first-half, but you can’t do that for 80 minutes and we coughed up too much ball. With the back-line they’ve got they’ll capitalise, so we’ve got to hold the ball for longer and do a lot more in attack.”
Daly returns after being rested to spearhead Wasps’ midfield in tandem with Gaby Lovobalavu, while Josh Bassett reclaims his place on the wing.
Up front, Carr replaces Thomas Young, who misses out after injuring a shoulder, and Jake Cooper-Woolley comes into the front row.
Improving Wasps are further boosted by news that All Blacks Malakai Fekitoa and Jeff Toomaga-Allen will join next season, with Shields adding: “They’re quality players who’ve been in that All Blacks environment and will bring a lot to our squad.”
Injuries to Luke McGrath and Johnny Sexton mean Leinster field a different half-back combination from the one Wasps faced in October, with Jamison Gibson-Park and Ross Byrne standing in.
Robbie Henshaw returns at inside-centre after recovering from a hamstring strain, while two changes up front see Devin Toner and Jack McGrath recalled at lock and prop.
Leinster need a win to secure top spot and a home quarter-final. Boss Leo Cullen warned: “The job’s nowhere near done. They’ve an unbelievable squad of top-end quality players so if we fail to prepare properly, we could come badly unstuck.”