A squad stretched to breaking point led to home discomforts for Wasps this year
Wasps fell to a onepoint defeat to Gloucester on Saturday, their fourth successive Ricoh Arena loss. Here’s what BOBBY BRIDGE had to say about their downturn in form...
HEADS bowed, some kneeling with hands pressed into the Ricoh Arena turf, others looking forlornly skywards.
Of all the defeats in Wasps’ rotten run during the Six Nations period, this was one hurt the most.
Having fought their way back from 17 points down to lead late on, their recent struggles at scrum-time returned and up stepped Billy Twelvetrees to seal Gloucester’s one-point win.
Five defeats in six games and seven in 14 across the season so far is in stark contrast to the first 14 under Lee Blackett following Dai Young’s confirmed exit a little over a year ago, when Wasps lost only twice.
This side, and their head coach, are measured by the expectations of the achievements of that group in the dramatic post-dai bounce.
To a degree that rolled over into this term. Five successive wins proceeded this dive in form when the likes of Exeter Chiefs, Bath and Montpellier were all defeated.
The biggest questions being posed are: “What is going wrong?’ and ‘how have things turned around so drastically?”
Discipline is certainly playing its part. After all that was said in midweek, Wasps’ first two penalties conceded against Gloucester was for the most avoidable infringement in rugby; offside. Fists must have been clenched in the stands as the visitors were afforded a freedom march from
22 to 22 without having to muster a line break.
Confidence and fortune are also factors. Crossfield kicks, passes flat to the gain-line, even charge downs were going Wasps’ way on their route to Twickenham. Some of the refereeing calls against Gloucester were tough on Blackett’s side.
Three involved Malakai Fekitoa. Firstly the Kiwi himself was sinbinned for a shove to a Gloucester player who tumbled embarrassingly to the deck. It worked though, as out came the yellow card while the instigator of the flashpoint, Santiago Carreras, skulked away unpunished.
Once back on the field, Fekitoa was tackled three metres from the line by a non-retreating Gloucester player after a quickly-tapped penalty; a yellow card no-brainer.
Finally came the ruling he was held up over the line. This was the least controversial of the decisions as there was no clear grounding – but it was the kind of momentumswinging moment that just doesn’t seem to be going Wasps’ way.
The biggest factor that can explain why suddenly Wasps are not on the right side of those fine margins is published at 12pm most Fridays.
When was the last time you looked at Wasps teamsheet and was convinced that a win was on the cards?
Without game-changers like Dan Robson, Alfie Barbeary, Paolo Odogwu and Jack Willis, Wasps have fewer players capable of those moments of brilliance that can decide games like the one that took place on Saturday.
Then take away rocks of the pack like Simon Mcintyre, Kieran Brookes, Joe Launchbury and even players who’ve produced flashes of inspiration for Wasps in the not-so-distant past in the form of Lima Sopoaga and Marcus Watson, Wasps have been papering over cracks in their squad for some time now.
The biggest signing Wasps made since the summer of 2019, Ryan Mills, has now missed 19 games following his move from Worcester last year. This season they have been forced into drafting in FOUR loan players. At different times Marlen Walker, Josh Caulfield and Alex Schwarz arrived from Cornish Pirates playing collectively less than 10 minutes.
No blame can be placed on their shoulders, but when Gloucester could look to experienced impact players with the likes of Jamal Ford-robinson, Wasps were forced to run Jeff Toomaga-allen – who not so long ago was the club’s third-choice prop and playing midweek A-league rugby – to go deep into the red zone before being replaced by another loanee in the form of Nicky Thomas. A player who the Ospreys can afford to let play elsewhere finds himself running out for last season’s Premiership runners-up, despite seemingly being some way short of the conditioning levels required for top-flight rugby.
In so many key areas on the pitch, Wasps are currently relying on players
The biggest questions being posed for Wasps are: “What is going wrong?’ and ‘how have things turned around so drastically?
at the start of their careers. Will Porter was making just his fourth Premiership start against Gloucester, while the fly-half duties this season have been shared between two more youngsters in Charlie Atkinson and Jacob Umaga – the former is still on the academy roster and the other is playing only his second full season of top-flight senior rugby.
Even at number eight, where Gloucester had the grit and experience of Ruan Ackermann, Wasps have been blooding the likes of Tom Willis and Alfie Barbeary. Two players with enormous potential and bundles of credit in the bank already, but aged just 22 and 20 respectively, they’re at the start of their careers and not every weekend is going to be a glittering success.
Then factor in other players who are at a similar stage of their careers. Tom West maybe a little older at 24, but this was just his 11th Premiership start while Gabriel Oghre feels like he has been in and around Wasps’ first team for many years – but this was just his fifth time in the starting XV of a league game.
Also joining them on the learning curve is head coach Lee Blackett, who recently clocked up his first year in a top job. Five months of that was gobbled up by a global pandemic and then came the congested fixture period which Wasps coped admirably with, but it’s a scenario we’re unlikely to see again and when the club massively overachieved.
The 38-year-old is only midway through his first full season as a Premiership head coach in ‘normal’ times.
Remove many of the pillars of experience from around that core group of developing young players, and fall just a few percentage points off in terms of accuracy, discipline and execution, then fine margins more often than not will work against you.
Many teams go through spells like this. Northampton Saints went 12 games without a win from last season into this, and Gloucester themselves lost eight games prior to their back-to-back wins at Wasps and Worcester’s expense.
Across those defeats, Gloucester’s average margin of defeat was under six points.
Not so long ago it was the men in Cherry and White with heads in hands, pleading for fortune to favour them. Now it is and their particular corner is slowly being turned, similarly as with Northampton Saints.
Wasps will turn their’s in time too, but with trips to Bristol Bears, Newcastle Falcons and the visit of Sale Sharks to come before March is complete, there could be more pain to endure before this group begins to aspire towards the feats achieved in the not-so-distant past.