Exeter v Wasps: Post match thoughts.

[Wombles]

1: first 40 some hope, 2nd 40 no hope.

2: Russia here we come.

3: Consistently inconsistent.

We were well beaten today, we gave a good account of ourselves in the first 40, yet that’s where the positives end. Second half we were outplayed in every facet and in every imaginable area possible. We lost shape, intensity, accuracy and discipline. We started playing like a team of individuals rather than a unit and Chiefs took us apart. They are so far ahead of us that it is really hard to work out how we were within a successful line out of beating them not 6 months previously. Yes Exeter were fully loaded, but you cannot fall apart like this in any part of any game...it is embarrassing.

Top 6 is now a impossible target, not because of matches left or points to get there, it is because we are not good enough and not consistent enough to push into that group of, frankly, better teams.

Lee et al have so much to work on, and we need to look at who we need to keep, who we need to bring in, and who we need to thank and say goodbye to because currently it is not working. 17 tries from 10 games, 9 lost from 11 played in the premiership and 33 points conceded to none scored in a second 40 is not acceptable. And it is that number 11 which may resonate at seasons end, because it will likely be the position in the league we finish, and honestly that which we deserve. We must hope however Worcester don’t improve or it could be worse.

[Rossm]

Exe certainly knew about the local conditions in that 2nd half; both wind and sun bang against us. Didn't get a sniff and it showed. Why go for long looping miss passes inside or close to our own 22 Consistently give away interceptions and soft tries and make it all the harder for ourselves.

[will311293]

To be honest, we defended really well in first half but any team under that sort of pressure was going to suffer.

Some players I think are really done at the top level for us sadly. Wouldn’t mind seeing a few of the younger lads used now and we aren’t making top 6.

But I’m sorry I don’t want to detract from this Exeter team who are excellent but surely, surely.. Exeter must be getting close to being over the salary cap.

They have 3 lions, 10 other internationals at least plus a fair few others who will be looking  for bigger contracts...

I just don’t understand how we can’t afford anyone it seems but Exeter are able to retain this many senior players of international quality.

[HDAWG]

I didn't watch the first half and after seeing the scoreline was excited.

That's the most disappointing performance I've seen by us for a long time. Shocking.

[Neils]

To be honest, we defended really well in first half but any team under that sort of pressure was going to suffer.

Some players I think are really done at the top level for us sadly. Wouldn’t mind seeing a few of the younger lads used now and we aren’t making top 6.

But I’m sorry I don’t want to detract from this Exeter team who are excellent but surely, surely.. Exeter must be getting close to being over the salary cap.

They have 3 lions, 10 other internationals at least plus a fair few others who will be looking  for bigger contracts...

I just don’t understand how we can’t afford anyone it seems but Exeter are able to retain this many senior players of international quality.

I said at the end that it was time somebody looked at the size of our squad and Exeter's then look at the quality and ask how do they do it.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

I wasn't disappointed. We played better than I expected in the first half. As soon as Chiefs got into the half time changing room talk, they had analysed our game, worked out how to beat us, and did.

I have no complaints. Foley was fair I thought. Some of our players had very good games, all seemed to try hard. But, we made mistakes. Well, who doesn't?

[Shugs]

I'm not quite as downbeat as you Wombles. The last 30 mins were an abomination. But prior to that we were giving them a real game. There were real positives - undone by errors. Our forwards were very good - but we're let down by the passing/handling/decision making in the backs. Umaga did better but is very, very loose. This team can win games regularly but they need to concentrate on doing the small things well. Great example - Rowlands spills a kick off - we spend 5 minutes in our own 22  - eventually concede a try - panic a bit and throw crazy wide pass - concede intercept try - game effectively over. You could highlight 10-15 such instances. We're just snatching at things trying to secure that win. Last two games we've been a lot better but ultimately have nothing to show for it.

[Heathen]

Errors, errors, errors.

How many games have they cost us this season?

How do you eliminate them?

If we cannot control our game, then the rest of the season is looking bleak.

[mike909]

Rather torn.

Played a good first half and probably ought to have scored 10+ more points....but...you cannot give any side, and especially one as good as Exeter, easy in's, and not just the once.....Depressingly unexpected once we started trying too hard to emulate some image of Wasps as some sort of miracle team.

We were second best - we didn't need to be made to look so "not at the races".

As others have suggested, time to look to the players that we will rely upon in the future. And we must give time to sort the future of the squad.

[westwaleswasp]

First half was good, but we should have been 15 up.
Second half- we seemed to think we were wearing black judging by the passing and the lineout.

Not just the usual issues, you have to say, Dan Robson won't have had a worse 40 minutes of rugby for us. When the class above players look a class below, you are not going to win.
Odogwu was the only back in full credit over the whole game for my money, Bassett very decent and honest, the rest were pretty shocking at worst to not in credit at best.

Full credit to Foley, he really is a good ref.

[ricohchezwasp]

Due to Phil the greeks funeral I had to watch in catch up after playing golf, thought we were decent in first half plenty of good attacking play, but lots of inaccuracies. Should gave been 10 or more pints ahead. Second half made unpleasant viewing and to be honest watched in about 10 minutes and we seemed to lose the plot, season over and time to start again and plan fOr next season. Umaga looked more confident but worrying that we are losing so many who played today.... and their replacements   Not exactly filling  me with confidence .   Not really an unexpected result, but would of expected a better show from the squad.

[Heathen]

Would a sports shrink make a difference?

[Neils]

Would a sports shrink make a difference?

For us - yes!

[Bloke in North Dorset]

At half time the two teams must have been thinking, if not saying openly in Chiefs' case:

Wasps: What do we have to do to get a break? We could have easily been 20+ points ahead. They get a break with Dan's disrupted pass and go the length of the field and we could easily have had Josh could have had a hat-trick and Jacob over the line, if not a few more. (Yes, Josh go a break with that charge down, but Jacob just missed touch, again).

Chiefs: Bloody hell, we got away with that one, we could easily have been 20+ points behind. All we have to do now it grind it out, we've got the wind and sun and we've done it before, no problem.

Then, Chief's again get a bit of a break at the start of the 2nd half and they grow 6" taller and we shrink back in to our shells.

I've no idea how you pick a team up that's in that place, but I'm just glad there's no relegation because its hard to see a team in their state winning another game this season.

But hats off to Chiefs and Cowan-Dickie in particular, he was the immense in the first half, they're a machine and the sort of machi8ne that will be at the top for some time to come.

[Jack9909]

This isn't meant to be at all dismissive of the current squad, but if we were rating the squads on paper where would wasps currently sit?

8th? 10th? Theres a few players who make any team in the league - Brookes, launch, j Willis, Robson, fekitoa

Outside of that, it feels like we are constantly rebuilding and hoping for a miracle. I think this squad is probably the 10th best in the league and that's where I expect us to finish.

The only way we will compete with Bristol and chiefs long term is through serious strategic investment which I don't see happening. So we should get used to bottom half of the table and hope for an occasional miracle in my opinion.

The business plan seems to have changed from the 'galacticos' that the move to cov suggested to just staying alive in the prem.
I suspect the suspension of relegation will signal more of the same.. A lack of investment in squad and coaching team