Northern Edition

Select Edition

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

The 7.15am Tuesday meeting that struggling Wasps hope will turn around their Premiership season

(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Wasps boss Lee Blackett has insisted that last year’s Gallagher Premiership finalists are primed to fight their way out of their poor recent run of form which has seen them lose six of their last seven matches – the last four in a row – and plunge to tenth on the table, eleven points outside the playoffs.

ADVERTISEMENT

The East Midlands club head to Newcastle on Friday night having lost their way since the league in England resumed at the end of January following a two-week layoff due to the cancelled European pool matches.

Wasps have suffered since then, a narrow away Premiership win at bottom club Worcester the only interruption to a losing sequence where they have been picked off by Harlequins, Northampton, London Irish and Gloucester at The Ricoh as well as missing out on their travels at Leicester and leaders Bristol.

Video Spacer

England World Cup winner Neil Back guests on RugbyPass Offload with Dylan Hartley and Ryan Wilson

Video Spacer

England World Cup winner Neil Back guests on RugbyPass Offload with Dylan Hartley and Ryan Wilson

It is by far their worst period in the 13 months since Blackett took charge as head coach but he retains every belief that a remedy can be found, starting at Kingston Park against the eighth-place Falcons.

“The desire to get back and win, sometimes you have got to be really careful. When things aren’t going your way you can sometimes try and make things happen too much… but there is actually a little more confidence than you would think in the group,” said Blackett, reflecting on the mounting string of Ls in recent weeks.

“They are obviously desperate to get a win but because the majority of the group have been here and seen it before and done it, it’s the younger guys who have come into this for the first time and had a really good last nine months, they are experiencing it for the first time.

“There is a good majority who are experienced guys and we know there is only one way to get out of it and that is to work hard, keep challenging ourselves, keep trying to improve and get yourself out of it. We know one performance (is all it takes) like we did last year when we faced Saracens at home, it just propelled your season and then you go from there.

ADVERTISEMENT

“But one thing I would definitely say is we are well aware there is no point in sulking, there is no point in looking to blame anyone else or anything, we have got to work hard and put in a performance at the weekend that gets the result.”

Blackett is especially encouraged by not having it left for the coaches to come up with all the solutions as senior players – including the fit-again Joe Launchbury – are having an influential say on getting Wasps out of this Premiership rut. For example, as early as 7.15am last Tuesday they were in with the coaches helping to set the agenda for preparations against Newcastle.

“The first thing Tuesday morning, there was a senior players meeting with the coaches and we discussed what we thought of the weekend (the defeat at Bristol) and generally before I open up and give my opinions I want to know their opinions.

“Then we work through the messages together, what we feel are the messages. We will put ideas out there for messages and the six players who were there, they will give us feedback on whether that is the right message.

ADVERTISEMENT

“We are as together as you are ever going to imagine, we always have been. There is a great feeling about the club at the moment. We win and lose together, we are all in this and we are going to fight our way out together.”

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
JPM 31 minutes ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

Unfortunately you don't know anything about French rugby, coaches and players but still making a lot of assumptions and judgements to push your prefabricated and simplistic point of view that Dupont is manipulating everything and is a bad guy. I am not a NZ rugby specialist and wouldn't dare make such theories about what is going on within the ABs team. Therefore my advice to you is to do like Dupont and stay humble when you don't know all the background of the issues !!!


Firstly if you knew a bit of Galthié, he is not the type of coach who is going to ask advice to his players and even his captain about team selection. He is as stubborn as you...


Second Ramos has played a lot of times as 10 with Toulouse and therefore Dupont (in particular when Ntamack is injured and unfortunately it has often happened recently and for long periods). He even played 10 during the last 3 games of the 2024 6N and this was far better performance than the first two games with Jalibert as 10.


Thirdly Jalibert lacked of respect to a La Rochelle player so your theory is once again out.


Fourth as I explained to you Galthié went for a 6-2 bench and Jalibert can only play 10 which doesn't fit that plan. Furthermore as 15 Buros is better under high balls than Ramos and everybody is prepared for a tactical kicking game.


So you can blame Galthié for a lot of things (as you clearly enjoy doing at the end of your post and you should be very happy as an AB fan) but certainly not Dupont. Sorry once more for your conspiracy theory.


And don't worry about potential disharmony in the French team; they are excellent mates around their captain. Jalibert is well known in the French rugby circles to have not a strong character (and we saw that in the WC quarter finals as he is very nervous in any decisive international game unlike Ntamack and Ramos as for his late penalty kick vs England this year).


In conclusion enjoy the game tmrw night. It is good that the ABs are very upset; we should watch a great game of rugby. I hope for running rugby and not too much kicking. With 5 key players injured on our side (Ntamack, Baille, Atonio, Cros and Penaud) and 2 on your side I and various French fans see you as favourites. I obviously hope for another result.


If you are interested you can read a good article in the Guardian on the subject of France-NZ games.

92 Go to comments
K
KB 34 minutes ago
The 'one difference' between Boks and the back-to-back All Blacks

Consistency hasnt been there they have many great players SA were also not unbeaten in the 2023 WC - NZ were in 2015 WC McCaw and Carter Nonu and Smith - SA did not have those Marque players in those postions in 2019 or 2023 - I wouldnt rank them ahead of the 20I5 ABs - They clocked up 60 points against France in the QF - Furthermore I do not believe for one moment SA won 2023 fairly no way - they were so favoured it became obvious that behind the scenes SA the nation bought the title - Their last 3 matches were won by a solitary point there were many contentious decisions that went their way that it became obvious it wasnt coincidence - Sport has been hijacked by a satanic cult just as is Politics

Some players coaches officials and sponsors are involved - they know who they are - its called Freemasonry - any sport that allows betting is corrupt - its not all about money either for these parasites its also about control - Lots of American NFL players have spoken openly about games being scripted - Football is also rigged Referees have been caught on film showing freemason hand signs - The 95 RWC final ranks as the highest and most obvious attempt at cheating There was no way SA were going to allow NZ to gate crash Nelson Mandelas reunification party - NZ were so good they had to posion almost the entire team to get a 3 point win - a Hollywood Movie ( theres your Red Flag ) was made about SAs triumph called Invictus


William Henley wrote a poem called Invictus


It starts


Out of the night that covers me BLACK ( All Blacks ) as the pit from pole to pole, I thank whatever GODS maybe for my unconquerable Soul ...( Olan says INVICTUS is an evil Malevolent entity who corrupted the Titans ... this is Mandelas double meaning speech ( hes a fraud ) - of thanks for helping overcome SA's adversary NZ - There is only ONE true God Yahuah - Only a false god would be complicit in Cheating Corruption and Harming others to win a RWC for a sick and sinful Nation ) the poem ends with


I am the CAPTAIN of my soul


SA will forever bear the stain of guilt and disgrace over their involvement in poisoning the ABs a day before the 95 RWC Final

10 Go to comments
C
CO 1 hour ago
Forget Ireland, the All Blacks face the real alpha of Europe next

I cannot believe that you don't think the French rugby team coach and captain are not discussing putting Jalibert on the bench in favour of Duponts club teammate that doesn't even play at 10.


This is a terrible, massive insult to a 10 and I'm sure Dupont would also be very enraged if benched for a player that doesn't even play halfback.


A good captain would've insisted to the coach that it was an idea of madness and either select Jalibert or replace him with another 10 if you want him to be reserve.


Jalibert may not be the world's finest tacklers but that's often not a tens main strength that the loose forwards and second five cover. An intercept pass is never great but they happen.


When any player is playing for his club then it's club first, respect doesn't need to be shown to opposition players simply because they're internationals.


Who exactly are you claiming Jalibert hasn't respected? If it's Toulouse international players then it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this bench demotion out.


The outcome of selecting Jalibert to the bench and he then throwing his croissants out the window of the team bus immediately prior to playing the Allblacks is a disaster that will be team disharmony as any team mates of Jalibert are in a state of anger and revolt so a performance that will be sub optimal against a team that is thirsting for revenge against France.


I don't know about you but the Allblacks are very upset they've lost twice in a row to France and want to put out a statement performance so this preparation by Galthie of creating havoc looks to me like a coach that is clueless.

92 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ 'Who gives a crap?' Animosity towards the Springboks is proof of their dominance 'Who gives a crap?' Animosity towards the Springboks is proof of their dominance
Search