Leicester Tigers v Wasps post match thoughts.

[Peej]

It was dreadful. Devoid of any redeeming feature*. An utter, utter cluster. Tigers weren't even that good, they will be buried by most of the other teams in the league. As will we if we continue to play like that.

We are down to the bare bones in some positions, and our inability to rotate has cost us. Some players look knackered, some are in rank form. But we have no option.


*Aside from 1 - hopefully it can't get any worse. 

[westwaleswasp]

Two huge disappointments for me.
One, how we played. I will say no more than that now.
Secondly, I don't want to see rugby played like that. These endless high balls will have people needing to be scraped from their seats. It is subjective, but I find it dull. I have not been looking forward to matches of late. Too many teams launching endless high bombs, and profiting from it. I enjoy cross field kicks, I enjoy a well taken chip or grubber against a rushing defence, but teams endlessly kicking from hand in the middle of the pitch as an attacking measure I just can't enjoy.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

Two huge disappointments for me.
One, how we played. I will say no more than that now.
Secondly, I don't want to see rugby played like that. These endless high balls will have people needing to be scraped from their seats. It is subjective, but I find it dull. I have not been looking forward to matches of late. Too many teams launching endless high bombs, and profiting from it. I enjoy cross field kicks, I enjoy a well taken chip or grubber against a rushing defence, but teams endlessly kicking from hand in the middle of the pitch as an attacking measure I just can't enjoy.

Agreed about the kicking, and it’s made worse as we wait for the caterpillar to arrive. 

[backdoc]

Borthwick + Wrigglesworth = Tigers game plan.

At least one of them will be pensioned off soon.

[Garuda]

From the creative rugby we were playing through most of last season we now seem to struggle with defensive pressure being put on us. We just don't seem to be making any impression off the gain line in these last few games. We had hardly any possession at all in Leicester's 22.

Seriously hope we can get back into our stride before confidence becomes an issue.

[Nrgee]

Just my opinion but we seem to be suffering the same as when Daly was announced as leaving during a season, players going through through the motions.
Umaga has not been the same since his England stint lost confidence.
However this is a strange season dont forget we have played all our matches, teams have accumulated points for not playing eg 10 points for Northampton. I am not singling them out just  pointing out what a lottery this season will be.

[Hymenoptera]

Others getting covid points has no baring on our on field performances

[Andywasp50]

Two huge disappointments for me.
One, how we played. I will say no more than that now.
Secondly, I don't want to see rugby played like that. These endless high balls will have people needing to be scraped from their seats. It is subjective, but I find it dull. I have not been looking forward to matches of late. Too many teams launching endless high bombs, and profiting from it. I enjoy cross field kicks, I enjoy a well taken chip or grubber against a rushing defence, but teams endlessly kicking from hand in the middle of the pitch as an attacking measure I just can't enjoy.

Actually, the more I think about the game, the more it was about the No 9s.

Healey said on commentary (if you lasted that long) that for young scrum halves training always used to be about passing - 50 passes off your left, 50 passes off your right, but now it’s all about training your box kicking. It’s a worrying trend that seems to be the core feature of English rugby now and doesn’t bode well for it’s future. So ultimately that type of game is all about kick, chase and crash and it’s exactly how Saracens played. Wigglesworth is supreme at that.

I think that without really being a deliberate evolution, our game has been built around Dan Robson, who is head and shoulders above the rest in getting a back line moving fast and into space. Whoever plays 10 benefits from this and that’s why Umaga struggles without him, he doesn’t get that extra second or two. Vellacott was very slow in thought and pass again today which effectively nullifies our game plan, and I know it’s a cliche but we don’t seem to have a plan B when there’s no Robbo.

Maybe controversial, but if it were me I’d get Simmo back in a shot. He’s slipped down the rankings at Glaws but for me was always lively and quick and a good no 2 to Robson. His heart is at Wasps too and he was always 100% committed.

[wasps]

We play well when we disrupt the opposition and get our own quick ball.

Typically, that occurs when we have Jack Willis and Thomas young on the flanks to disrupt the opposition, help secure our own ball, but also give us turnover ball.
Without breakdown dominance we're a complete shadow of the team we have been.

When we're dominating the breakdown and have a quick scrum half to use the ball, brains in midfield and a strong engine room in the forwards, then we're tough to beat.


It's not the first time it's happened to us and it's not just this current generation of the team.
We can be very very good... But when we don't have our pieces together, we can be incredibly poor too

[Tervueren]

Not sure we need post-match thoughts, what we need is during-match thinking.

Today was just dire, headless and panicked. The loss to Quins who were on mental-"steroids" is forgivable. Against Saints it was a competition as to who could play worse, and we managed it. The win at Worcs was lucky, and today was a team failure that should be played back to them on wide-screen multiple times every morning for a month. The only redeeming feature was that the Mullins "I'm broadcasting a rugby chat show whilst some blokes chase a ball about in the background" was not the most annoying thing.

The hope is that we have seen better than this against better teams than this so they should be able to get their heads out from where they are stuck and pick up again.

"£$% what is this oval thing? Better kick it back those blokes over there" is not going to cut it.

[westwaleswasp]

Others getting covid points has no baring on our on field performances

Absolutely! The table can lie but I am sure we can all agree that our performances have not been as we would like...

[DGP Wasp]

Not looking to make excuses for what was an embarrassing performance yesterday (and I did tough it out for the full 80), and the 2 poor games before that; but Wasps are one of only a small number of teams who haven't had the benefit of accruing points while resting the entire squad due to a Covid outbreak. It's not just that some teams have an improved league position due to points they haven't earned, it's also that those same teams have had the benefit of more rest weeks so have a fitter squad at their disposal when they do play. Is it just Wasps and Exeter that have played every round? (Coincidentally the 2 teams who had the shortest off season). While Exeter haven't quite been as bad as Wasps of late, they have not been anywhere near as dominant as they would expect to be.

Not wishing Covid on anyone, and certainly not looking to make light of bigger problems than Wasps' alarming slump in form, but right now I'd happily take 4 points from the next 2 games and a good break for the whole squad.

[Vespula Vulgaris]

That is a very good point.

[Heathen]

Not wishing Covid on anyone, and certainly not looking to make light of bigger problems than Wasps' alarming slump in form, but right now I'd happily take 4 points from the next 2 games and a good break for the whole squad.

I would like to see us take 8 points from the next two games by whatever means! Irish and Glaws at home would normally be winnable but with our confidence being low, who knows which Wasps side will turn up.

After that it is Bears (a), Falcons (a), Sharks (h), before two weeks of Euros and then Chiefs (a).

[Wombles]

Yesterdays performance, if repeated, would negate any possibility of further victory simply by the nature of our loss. No team can expect anything other than defeat when you do not front up physically. It was, frankly, shocking to see our team physically intimidated...and in the case of certain players such as Rowlands, Brookes and Umaga (the latter is suffering a crisis of confidence which requires ongoing support) they looked frightened! And to see that from professionals was shocking..Rowland especially his feeble attempt on the Tigers 8 would not be accepted at my level in Surrey 3!  The lack of collective effort also concerned me. The bench tried but overall it was insipid and lethargic throughout.

The above is indefensible, there can be no counter argument or nashing of teeth as the game was there for all to see. The lads all need to take a look at themselves and one another because they not only let us down yesterday, they let the club and themselves down as well. It was embarrassing, and they need to make a line in the sand and a resolution to never repeat what they did yesterday again. Embarrassment must provide motivation for future success.