Team For Saturday

[Neils]

Lee Blackett has named his side to travel to Sixways to face Worcester Warriors in Gallagher Premiership Round 10 on Saturday.

There are four personnel changes and one positional switch from Wasps’ last game against Gloucester.

Marcus Watson returns at full back, after being a late withdrawal against the Cherry and Whites.

Jimmy Gopperth and Alex McHenry form an all-new centre partnership, as Josh Bassett reverts back to the wing.

Zach Kibirige keeps his place on the right wing, while Will Porter once again forms the half-back partnership with Jacob Umaga.

The only other change sees Dan Frost start at hooker, with Bomber Hislop and Jeffery Toomaga-Allen propping down either side of him.

The rest of the pack is unchanged, captain Brad Shields is joined by Thomas Young and Tom Willis in the back-row. Elliott Stooke is paired with Vaea Fifita in the second-row once more.

On the bench, Tom West returns from injury. Just like last week, it is a 6-2 forwards-to-backs bench-split, as Sam Wolstenholme joins Matteo Minozzi as the backs replacements. Gabriel Oghre, Elliot Millar-Mills, Seb de Chaves, Nizaam Carr and Alfie Barbeary are the other forwards in reserve.

Wasps team to face Worcester Warriors at Sixways Stadium on Saturday (kick-off 3:00pm)

Wasps (First-team appearances)

15 Marcus Watson (58)

14 Zach Kibirige (55)

13 Alex McHenry (3)

12 Jimmy Gopperth (135)

11 Josh Bassett (157)

10 Jacob Umaga (57)

9 Will Porter (36)

1 Robin Hislop (

2 Dan Frost (4)

3 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (52)

4 Vaea Fifita (7)

5 Elliott Stooke (

6 Brad Shields (60) (c)

7 Thomas Young (146)

8 Tom Willis (48)

Replacements

16 Gabriel Oghre (52)

17 Tom West (56)

18 Elliot Millar-Mills (4)

19 Sebastian de Chaves (4)

20 Nizaam Carr (62)

21 Alfie Barbeary (15)

22 Sam Wolstenholme (21)

23 Matteo Minozzi (33)

Unavailable through injury (18): Charlie Atkinson, Ali Crossdale, Tom Cruse, Kieran Curran, Malakai Fekitoa, James Gaskell, Ben Harris, Francois Hougaard, Joe Launchbury, Rob Miller, Ryan Mills, Ben Morris, Paolo Odogwu, Dan Robson, Will Simonds, Sam Spink, Theo Vukasinovic, Jack Willis.

[Rossm]

Happy with that. Nice to see Frostie getting a start - presumably rotation.

[Neils]

Weird the emoji appearing instead of the No 8 !!

[Rossm]

Warriors: 15 Jamie Shillcock, 14 Melani Nanai, 13 Francois Venter (CC), 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Gareth Simpson, 1 Rory Sutherland, 2 Niall Annett, 3 Christian Judge, 4 Matt Garvey, 5 Graham Kitchener, 6 Kyle Hatherell, 7 Ted Hill (CC), 8 Sione Vailanu.

Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Jay Tyack, 19 Joe Batley, 20 Sam Lewis, 21 Will Chudley, 22 Billy Searle, 23 Ollie Lawrence.

Vailanu at 8. Tom Willis should be able to keep him under control😉

[Neils]

Hoped that Durhan might be missing - some task for our Wing dealing with that!

[Rossm]

This will be Steve Diamond's first game of his consultancy.

[HDAWG]

Warriors: 15 Jamie Shillcock, 14 Melani Nanai, 13 Francois Venter (CC), 12 Ashley Beck, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Fin Smith, 9 Gareth Simpson, 1 Rory Sutherland, 2 Niall Annett, 3 Christian Judge, 4 Matt Garvey, 5 Graham Kitchener, 6 Kyle Hatherell, 7 Ted Hill (CC), 8 Sione Vailanu.

Replacements: 16 Scott Baldwin, 17 Ethan Waller, 18 Jay Tyack, 19 Joe Batley, 20 Sam Lewis, 21 Will Chudley, 22 Billy Searle, 23 Ollie Lawrence.

Vailanu at 8. Tom Willis should be able to keep him under control😉

Is this Fin Smith the young Worcester 10 being hyped up by media?

[mike909]

That's as good a team as we could expect given the injuries.

Upsides for me are centres playing in regular positions, ditto wings, a high class back row and excellent SR - with a bench that offers options with Tom and Alfie ready to continue their rehab

This will be hard game - but if we can get into it (i.e. not gift early points) then having two playmakers at 10 and 12, a robust 13 and lots of pace outside, we ought to be able to make use of ball we get. And with Jimmy, perhaps look towards managing our efforts more effectively.

Looking at Warriors - we will need to get stuck into their forwards and move them around and look to get our backrow supporting our backs in getting forwards.

COYW

[WonkyWasp]

Nice to see McHenry still with us, and even better to have Mr Willis still at 8.  Brilliant to have Westy back again (hooray) and maybe  Alfie will get 20 ish minutes replacement  at 8,  or where needed.   

[Neils]

Nice to see McHenry still with us, and even better to have Mr Willis still at 8.  Brilliant to have Westy back again (hooray) and maybe  Alfie will get 20 ish minutes replacement  at 8,  or where needed.

Or where needed - centre?

[Rossm]

Nice to see McHenry still with us, and even better to have Mr Willis still at 8.  Brilliant to have Westy back again (hooray) and maybe  Alfie will get 20 ish minutes replacement  at 8,  or where needed.

Or where needed - centre?

I suppose, if absolutely necessary, he could do an Ashley and hook?

[coddy]

Hoped that Durhan might be missing - some task for our Wing dealing with that!

Zach will be ok, I don't recall him ever being bounced off in a tackle by a bigger bloke.

[Neils]

Hoped that Durhan might be missing - some task for our Wing dealing with that!

Zach will be ok, I don't recall him ever being bounced off in a tackle by a bigger bloke.

Having watched Durhan for a few years he is not just a "bigger bloke". I hope you a right.

[Shugs]

Crikey that’s thin in the backs on the bench. Frost looks a real find.

[Steve from Cov]

Good to see Tom West in the bench with Alfie.

Worcester have the strongest squad I’ve seen for some time.

I reckon it’s going to be a nail biter.