Here's another from The Telegraph.
Wasps secure bonus-point victory over Northampton after back row masterclass
Jack Willis and Thomas Young took advantage of the law interpretations at the breakdown, causing havoc throughout the match
Eddie Jones started the weekend on Friday night by witnessing a standout performance from Harlequins’ Chris Robshaw, a familiar face of England’s past. On Sunday, the England head coach departed Franklin’s Gardens having seen a glimpse of its future in the shape of Wasps’ back-row tearaway Jack Willis.
Wasps’ bonus-point win allows them to leapfrog Northampton into the top four, a remarkable transformation since head coach Lee Blackett took the reins from Dai Young when the club were tenth. It was a victory based squarely on their domination of the breakdown where Wasps twin opensides Willis and Thomas Young, the broadcasters’ man of the match, ran riot. Despite boasting nearly two thirds possession and territory, Northampton ended up conceding 17 turnovers; their all England capped back row of Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam and Teimana Harrison were comprehensively bested.
Willis is not exactly a new kid on the block. The 23-year-old was due to tour South Africa in 2018 before rupturing his ACL in his right knee. In his absence, Tom Curry started all three Tests and cemented himself as a world-class talent as Willis spent 16 months on the sidelines.
He was just finding his form again before the coronavirus pandemic struck. If anything his effectiveness has been amplified by the law interpretations at the breakdown. Once over the ball, Willis is impossible to shift and with an engine that could power a tank that means he seems to be contesting every other breakdown. He also popped up with a try with Josh Bassett (twice) and Ben Harris also crossing. Even if Curry – or Sam Underhill for that matter – are not going anywhere any time soon, Willis is placing himself in that selection equation.
“Jack is proving himself at this moment, he is working hard and he won’t die wondering in his career, that’s for sure,” Blackett said. “I think England’s back row is as strong as it’s ever been, but Jack will be there or thereabouts. If he keeps playing well and working hard, I’m pretty sure he’ll get a call up.”
Northampton fly half Dan Biggar kicked a pair of first-half penalties but was also responsible for the set piece for the first Wasps try after kicking past the deadball line. Wasps’ execution was flawless. Jimmy Gopperth delayed his pass to Jacob Umaga who flipped on while absorbing the contact allowing Bassett a straightforward finish. “We practiced defending that move 100 times,” Chris Boyd, the Northampton director of rugby, said. “We quietly got it wrong on the day. You can’t afford to leak soft tries.” Boyd’s frustration only mounted as Wasps’ second score also came from a scrum on 18 minutes. It was executed in a similar clinical manner as full back Matteo Minozzi was brought up just short and that man Willis was present to snipe from close range for his fourth try in his last six appearances.
Northampton manoeuvred themselves into promising positions, particularly with their work at the restarts but a combination of poor handling and Wasps’ stout defence prevented them from capitalising. Centre Malakai Fekitoa acted as the tone-setter. Twice he rattled the bones of opposite number Fraser Dingwall, although the second time it drew a yellow card from referee Karl Dickson as his shoulder rode up into his chin. Saints failed to capitalise on their man advantage.
After the break, Northampton took a leaf from Wasps’ playbook by using the scrum as a try-scoring platform. It was hardly a subtle ploy, using 19 stone Taqele Naiyaravoro on the crash before scrum half Alex Mitchell dived over. Wasps responded with Harris’ pushover try and extended their advantage to 24-13 as replacement Lima Sopoaga kicked a penalty.
Sopogoa, though, was rightly sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on which prevented a certain try. Northampton immediately capitalised as second David Ribbans scored from a driving maul and a Biggar penalty cut Wasps’ lead to three points. However Sopoaga scored his second penalty before Wasps scored a glorious fourth try to seal their fourth win a row. Young seized on a loose kick and in an instant Sopoaga and the excellent Dan Robson had flown down the lefthand touchline for Bassett to score his second.
“I did not see that coming,” Boyd said. “We put ourselves under pressure in training a lot but I think that was the preseason game we needed.”
Always a Wasp