IT’S DUBLIN.. SCARE CITY
Wasps desperate to avoid England fate on the killing field of the Aviva
ELLIOT DALY says Wasps must learn from England’s mistakes if they are to avoid the same fate in Dublin today.
Daly and clubmates James Haskell, Joe Launchbury and Nathan Hughes are back at the scene of England’s Grand Slam horror show.
Just two weeks after being well beaten by Ireland, the Red Rose quartet face many of the same opponents, on the same Aviva Stadium pitch, playing for Leinster in the European Champions Cup quarter-final.
Daly warned: “There are a lot of Ireland players in this Leinster team and the way they play is very similar.
“They’re going to bring the same sort of attitude and probably the same game plan given they’ve got the same 10, 12 and 13 in the back line and Sean O’Brien in the pack.” A fortnight ago England did not get their measure. Needing victory to claim the world record for longest Test-winning streak, they crashed and burned.
“We’ve got to play the conditions a little better,” acknowledged Daly, who tasted defeat for the first time in a senior England jersey.
“It was wet when we played and we didn’t adapt in the first half to the conditions. I didn’t feel we were going to concede a lot of points, but we didn’t have the ball in the right areas in the first half to put pressure on them.”
Captain Launchbury promises Wasps will go out “all guns blazing” against opponents they thrashed home and away last season.
But he too is mindful of the fate which befell England on St Patrick’s weekend. “It’s fresh in my memory,” he said. “We (Wasps) need to be technically a bit better than we have been.” Premiership leaders versus Pro12 frontrunners is a mouthwatering prospect, particularly with each team being top try-scorers in their respective league. Leinster boast six of Ireland’s starting XV, including influential fly-half Johnny Sexton, who England targeted without success. Up against him is Danny Cipriani, who must take this chance if his dream of touring with either England or the Lions this summer is to be realised.