Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

'Joe Launchbury has just spoken about how that was one of the best wins of his Wasps career'

By PA
Joe Launchbury of Wasps is tackled by Sam Underhill (left) and Charlie Ewels. (Getty)

Wasps head coach Lee Blackett reflected on one of the club’s finest wins after they overcame huge odds to beat Gallagher Premiership play-off rivals Bath 27-23. Wasps flanker Thomas Young, full-back Lima Sopoaga, hooker Tommy Taylor and Taylor’s replacement Gabriel Oghre all departed injured during the first 34 minutes.

ADVERTISEMENT

It meant the Recreation Ground clash going to uncontested scrums, so stretched were Wasps’ front-row resources.

Bath, though, were found wanting as a 75th-minute penalty try saw Wasps home and lifted them back into the play-off zone.

Video Spacer

The Breakdown | Episode 31 | Kieran Read returns

Video Spacer

The Breakdown | Episode 31 | Kieran Read returns

“Joe Launchbury (Wasps captain) has just spoken in the sheds about how that was one of the best wins of his Wasps career, and he has been here a lot longer than I have,” Blackett said.

“It’s the character, the leadership, the adversity we had to go through.

“We spoke in the lockdown break about being adaptable, and that was the most pleasing thing today, because everything possible was thrown at us.

“The way we fought back into it was outstanding. It was pure fight. It takes a lot of hard work.”

Blackett confirmed concussions for Young and Oghre, while Taylor suffered a serious-looking ankle injury and Sopoaga had hamstring issues.

ADVERTISEMENT

Wasps’ victory ended Bath’s unbeaten run since the Premiership restarted after lockdown.

Wasps are now one point behind third-placed Bristol with five games left, but Bath have dropped to fifth.

Fly-half Jacob Umaga and prop Tom West scored tries for Wasps, while Umaga kicked two conversions and a penalty and Sopoaga slotted a penalty.

Wing Ruaridh McConnochie and substitute hooker Jack Walker claimed Bath’s touchdowns, and fly-half Rhys Priestland kicked 13 points.

ADVERTISEMENT

Reflecting on the loss, Bath’s England international flanker Sam Underhill said: “It’s a disappointing result and performance.

“We just weren’t up to scratch, and against a side of that quality you can’t slip up, as they will punish you.”

Bath had scored 13 tries and claimed 14 points from a possible 15 in beating London Irish, Leicester and Northampton, but Wasps proved an insurmountable hurdle.

Bath rugby director Stuart Hooper added: “The big learning to take out of it is that you have got to be able to adapt. Credit to Wasps, they adapted better than we did.

“We didn’t react quickly enough and we didn’t adjust, and they got the win.

“I thought we had moments where we showed some of the things we had done in the previous three games, but we didn’t consistently knit that together. We coughed up a few opportunities.

“Today was an opportunity for us, but it is not terminal.

“Rugby is a game of energy, and you have got to make sure you manage that energy as well as you manage field-position.”

ADVERTISEMENT

LIVE

{{item.title}}

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
JW 1 hour ago
Scott Robertson explains the new halves pairing for the All Blacks ahead of France

More indecision and excuses from Razor.


You've given a spot at 6 to Finau whom you haven't even had the courage to use off the bench in the last two games. Now the young enforcer is going into a big much with no rugby, we should expect a similar result to how Aumua struggled to impact a game after he'd hardly been given any chances of the bench either.


Weve now dropped a back three player who also wasn't even given any game time off the bench for someone coming in cold when they really need to have been playing constantly to perform at their best. There are just so many better pictures that should have been present rather than this mickey mouse selection.


I really hope Finau can overcome this, it won't be the first time he's had to. How is the bench even made up? Could you not just have included these changes in the article as well? I actually like BB coming back in, it highlights how courageous he is after sitting out through another concussion that could just as easily sent him back into months of symptoms again.


Dmac was also off his game last week, as was Ratima, with the poor platform Razor and his team have been setting the players up with. He needs to freedom to clear his mind from the clutter that saw him make so many bad decisions last week. It will still probably be a net loss for the team performance not having him on from the start but it should be better for them in the long run if he's allowed to just come on late and play his game trying to claw things back for the team.


With Roigard starting that might prove an outlet for the team to actually get on top first however. Along with Ardie busting a gut in his new role and emptying the tank by halftime, and being replaced by another new star, might mean that Dmac is just icing on the cake at the end.

13 Go to comments
F
Flankly 1 hour ago
Jake White: If I was England coach, I’d have been livid

I am not an England fan, but still very disappointed at what Borthwick is serving up. Regardless of winning or losing, they should be executing the basics at a world class level. That was the reason they replaced Eddie with Steve. After two years England has not built the solid foundations that the RFU were presumably after. Its hard to see it as anything other than a coaching problem.


Having said that I really hope that Rassie has got his team fired up for the game. The Boks at maximum intensity and with no crises (eg red cards) would be expected to win this game. But it does not take much reduction in pressure for Bok teams to lose. The Boks lose when complacency sets in.


On Felix Jones, my guess is that they can't agree on a non-compete so they kept him on payroll for the duration of the Nov tests. The risk was that he would be hired by Rassie or Razor prior to the tests.


As relates to law tweaking, it feels like WR are more comfortable discussing changes in laws than insisting on implementation. For my money the biggest thing they could do is to be strict and consistent in officiating ruck behavior. In every game we see flopping, lazy lying, clearing of unbound players, making plays while off your feet, delays in placing the ball, side entry, offside line infringements, and similar nonsense. It's really really bad, and the WR attitude seems to be that we should turn a blind eye in pursuit of "flowing rugby". In truth it's just boring, because it randomizes the outcome.

11 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Four Ireland talking points as Aki axed and two rookies make bench Four Ireland talking points as Aki axed and two rookies make bench
Search