Harlequins v Wasps: Post Match Thoughts.

[Wombles]

Harem Scarum

So Near Yet So Far

A Game Is Not Over Until The Final Whistle.

What a cracking game of rugger! For the defensive purists amongst us that will give you nightmares for a decade. However both teams contributed to a cracking and highly entertaining game of rugby.

Harlequins were good for their win, deserve the points and the plaudits, and also deserve a semi final spot. They were full of energy and drive, led by example and kept to their systems for the whole 80+ minutes. That was a quality performance, and you have to doff your hat to them.

For ourselves....well it would be very easy to lose the positives in the negatives - and certainly they must be worked on, defence, discipline (again) and accuracy -, but there was a lot to be positive about. We played with a game plan and style, unfortunately a hard lesson here was that we still make key mistakes at key points. One that sticks in the old shirt term memory is letting the tackle area go unchallenged in the last few minutes thus allowing quick ruck ball.

Robson had a cracking game, Shields did well, Odogwu played very well. Fekatoa great, but moving to 12 left him positionally exposed at times.

Looking at the battle between the 9's, although we lost Robson just gave another example as to why he should be starting for England. Care has been on form all season, and he his mini battle with him was won, and won well.

Jacob....well compare and contrast with Marcus, If Marcus does not get the chance with England....then an almost watertight case for getting rid of Eddie Jones takes its last step towards case closed....WHAT a performance. Jacob is 1 season behind Smith in his development, and when you look at how Smith moved his team around, kicked and passed this is exactly where Jacob and young Atkinson need to be when they reach the same stage.

Make no bones about it, this will hurt....but hurt can be moved to something more positive, something more tactile....and this is exactly what we need to do with it. Remember Harlequins are going for the title, and we are desperately trying to get into the top 8 and Europe..Take this on board, commit to being part of a process that will lead to titles and silver wear and then through defeat victory can be achieved! Judgement comes from not by how we win but by how we lose.

Well done Harlequins....For our boys, we go again!!!

Chris

Once a Wasp ALWAYS a Wasp!

[Garuda]

Played so well, but what do we have to do to buy a win?

With 3 mins remaining Robson shapes up to kick the ball away, I'm screaming at the tv for us to keep possession instead and stick the ball up our jumpers. Aaaaaarrrgh!

[Rossm]

Slightly OT from our point of view. But it looks like Mike Brown has played his last game for Quins. Could be a long ban which extends into next season. As Austin said, you can't plead guilty and hope for mitigation as that would mean admitting to a kick/stamp to TT's head.

[westwaleswasp]

We may well have conceeded had Robson not kicked- teams trying to run the clock down by moving the drinks cabinet one inch closer to  Berlin, with the ball up the jumper never to be seen in public, are currently being pinged by refs all over the place. One pen in your own half means linout drive+ try so often, and we have found so many ways to lose in the last minute whether we keep the ball or not. There was plenty of poor game management at the end of both halves, but if you kick and kick well, as Robson did, you should not be then conceeding territory so easily as we did having kicked.

[HDAWG]

Without being too hyperbolic I'm quite concerned about next season.

We're not changing the coaching structure outside of Everard moving to defence coach and other than Hougaard coming in we've not made any major signings.

I appreciate the financial direction the club is going in, but I'm not confident we'll improve without additions to the squad or new coaches. Feels like we'll not have much added positivity.

[Shugs]

Post match reaction is that it's Groundhog Day again. Really fed up of us losing at the death time and time and time again. I thought we looked terrible in the centres defensively. Odogwu back on the wing for me not least because Kibirige is a spectator at the moment. Some absolutely brilliant attack but they scored from every visit to our 22 - that is just not good enough. What really struck me was that all the way through, no matter how far ahead we got, I thought we'd throw it away. That has to be part of the players mindset as well as we do it very very frequently. For the club we can't lose sight of how important top 8 is for us financially. 5 points today sees us comfortably in one of those slots - there is a certain inevitability that we'll blow that at the death as well. We've got to develop a harder edge - quickly.

[Rossm]

I must say, I don't know what has happened to Zach. Nowhere near the player he was last season.

[Wombles]

I believe that sticking with the coaches, the squad we have and the incoming players may well serve us far better in the long run. A lot of the players are young, have had to whether losing key central players and leaders, and also the coaching team has only had a season with Lee being the leading voice. We are playing the long game here, and to stay the course will pay dividends, we just have to have patience and faith. I have said this before, but had Man Utd off loaded Ferguson when his first few seasons were not hitting the heights imagine what they would of missed out on. You will also need clever signings both on and off the field to give a fresh voice/perspective and move things forward, but if you remove the key components then all that learning and development through adversary is lost and another teams that signs them is the beneficiary. 

In regards to Fekatoa and Odogwu, I am fairly sure this was the first time the two played together in this pairing, both will need time to adjust...yes defensively they were a little at sea, however once more time and games are needed to develop a more cohesive, trusting relationship.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

I said this in my pre-match thoughts for tactics.

DO NOT kick to Quins. They WILL punish you if you do this. We did, they did. Simple.

Robson and Umaga did exactly what was needed, to keep the Quins defence on their toes. But we tried way too hard to get first phase ball to the wing and run it. Never going to work.

IMHO Smith was the difference. We simply did not mark him and deal with him.

Oghre again did not acquit himself well. When is that lad going to learn not to try too hard and give away so much? Someone needs to give him a good slapping. If we are expecting him to step up to replace TT, he has quite a way to step up.

We simply have no answer to a team one or two men down. We clearly have no tactics pre-agreed. Why not? We continued to stress and overplay it, when simple keep the ball tactics will always prevail. To toss it around with hopeless offloads, especially in front of our own posts, is insane.

We look like an inexperienced team of jittery youngsters.

But what a great game for an independent viewer. The commentary from Austin was, frankly, annoying.

[petros]

Austin is always annoying. I remember laughing at him some years back at Adams Park when he was having his male up sorted, but then he was a SH so what can you expect

[Peej]

It's just not good enough. Not by a long way. We're becoming a team that accepts mediocrity.

Nothing can outweigh the negative of scoring six tries and not winning the game, especially against 14 men. It's inexcusable.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

Jacob hits the post and the ball bounces out.  Smith hits the upright and it goes over.

By small margins do games swing.

[HDAWG]

Jacob hits the post and the ball bounces out.  Smith hits the upright and it goes over.

By small margins do games swing.

That is one part of it, but conceding 6 tries will also do that.

[HDAWG]

Genuine question, do you guys and gals think we will improve next season? We don't seem like we're trying to improve anything coaching or player wise (aside from Hougaard). If we were in the form of last season I'd understand it, but it is really jarring to make these decisions under our current form.

Not even a big loose forward signing for one season to compensate for Launchbury and Willis out for until at least January 2022. (Or at the very least rumoured with!)

I'm praying relegation is scrapped next season, because the money Worcester are spending and Cipriani effect Bath might have, I'm worried.

Just what the hell. Maybe my nerves will settle in few days, but still.

[Shugs]

Yes, I think we'll improve. This season has been an acute frustration but consider those who will re-emerge with invaluable experience. I count Oghre, Barbeary, Umaga, Atkinson, Cardall, Odogwu and T Willis. I genuinely believe when you put those alongside Robson, West, Shields, J Willis, Launchbury, Bassett, Fekitoa and Young you have a squad capable of challenging for top 4. Patience is key but I think we're on the right track. A bit of pain and frustration this year may be a price worth paying.