Dai: Wasps lack usual sting due to missing

WASPS’ reputation of being the rugby version of free-scoring ‘Newcastle United’ football team of the mid1990s has slipped this season – with director of rugby Dai Young keen for his side to restore their cutting edge.

A return of just one try in their last three hours and 15 minutes of Premiership and European action is indicative of a miss-firing backline that is struggling to find its feet since Danny Cipirani’s move to Gloucester.

Across 12 Premiership and European games, the Black and Golds have registered a try-scoring bonus point only four times and sit fourth in the Gallagher Premiership try-scoring charts with 26 – 12 behind unbeaten table-toppers Saracens.

“What our DNA has been over the last three or four seasons is our ability to score tries and score points,” said Young, ahead of Saturday’s Heineken Champions Cup trip to Toulouse.

“We have been accused in the past of having the old Newcastle [United] football approach, they score ten points but we’re not too bothered as we will score 20.

“That hasn’t been the case this year. We’ve been nowhere near as effective with the ball as we have been in previous years gone past, the last few seasons we’ve been in the top try scorers in the Premiership and we’re nowhere near that. “We have to get back to scoring tries we have to get back to playing the rugby we know we can play. “Yes we’re going to concede points, obviously that has to be better. “But our biggest swing from where we’ve been in the last few seasons is in our inability to score the 20, 30 points which we’ve scored in the past.” The Newcastle United comparison derives from the Premiership football team’s period under the management of Kevin Keegan when a front-loaded side of glittering stars entertained with goals galore – but a weakness at the back stopped them from picking up honours that were so tantalisingly close. So, why are Wasps struggling for the attacking fluency that became their hallmark in recent years? Three of the key protagonists in the 2017/18 attack are no longer with the club or have barely featured. Cipriani is pulling the strings at Gloucester, last season’s top try scorer Christian Wade retired from the sport after five try-less games and Willie le Roux’s 12 South Africa caps since June has limited him to just five Wasps appearances this term. Christian Wade has retired from rugby

“You have to be careful what you say as it can be deemed as being excuses but we’ve lost our top try scorer in Christian Wade,” said Young.

“Willie le Roux pretty much had the most assists in the Premiership last year, he’s played four or five games for us. We haven’t really had that consistency in the back line to really sort of play the rugby that we want.

“All you can do in most attacks is produce one on ones then you need your X-factor players to be the difference, unfortunately we haven’t had our X-factor players playing out there really.”

X-factor players like Dan Robson, who has missed Wasps’ last six games following an ankle injury against Gloucester in early October.

But it’s not just in the stardustsprinkler departments where Young has been struggling to field his best options with regularity.

In the 12 games played so far this season, four different centre combinations have started matches with Michael Le Bourgeois and Juan de Jongh being the most deployed duo with five outings at 12 and 13. Willie le Roux has made just five appearances for Wasps this season

The latter of that combination has managed five tries already this season but has started the past two matches from the bench.

He is one of a handful of players who have been guilty of ‘over playing’ in recent games when Wasps have desperately sought routes back into games.

“It’s been a bit of a battle for us,” added Young. “Even putting the same centres together week in week out has been a battle which doesn’t help.

“We do think we’ve just got to keep working at it.

“Obviously confidence is low, people are looking to do things that they don’t normally do, some of our better players are making mistakes which they don’t normally do.

“It’s not a case of they don’t care it’s a more of a case they really do care and they want to do a little bit more and take things into their own hands, stepping out of structure and so on.

“Realistically we just need to do the basics really well and it’s a good place to go at the weekend and put a real good performance in and we build going back into the Premiership.

“Lots of little things are not going our way at the minute but we have to be better both sides of the ball.” MARTIN Glenn has resigned as chief executive of the Football Association.

Glenn, who joined the FA in May 2015, will leave his role at the end of the 2018-19 season.

Glenn said: “When I accepted the role of CEO at the FA, I was tasked with improving the effectiveness of the organisation and making it financially secure.

“I also joined with the strong belief that the England team’s performance in tournaments could and should improve, and that the experience of the millions of people who play football could be a better one.

“I will leave feeling proud of the success of the performance of all the England teams. I am confident that we have established in St George’s Park, a world-class centre which will ensure that the teams will continue to build on their current successes.

“I hope that the FA will be able to build on this by accelerating the breakthrough of English qualified players into the first teams.”

In a statement the FA said: “We are extremely grateful to Martin for all he has achieved and he leaves very strong foundations for his successor.”

Glenn has presided over a series of challenging situations in his role, including the appointment and rapid departure of England boss Sam Allardyce.

He was criticised for his role in the investigation into the conduct of England women’s manager Mark Sampson, who was dismissed in September last year.

And in March he was forced to apologise to the Jewish Leadership Council after referencing the Star of David during the fall-out from the Catalan yellow-ribbon row involving Pep Guardiola.

However, Glenn has also been hailed for increasing the FA’s revenue streams by around 40 per cent, as well as presiding over a significant increase in both profile and participation levels in the women’s game.

On the field under Glenn’s leadership, England have enjoyed significant age-group success by winning the Under-17 and Under-20 World Cups. The senior side under Gareth Southgate defied expectations to reach the 2018 World Cup semi-finals.

We have to get back to scoring tries we have to get back to playing the rugby we know we can play.