Teams Up for Sharks

[Rossm]

Lee Blackett has named his side to travel to Sale Sharks in Gallagher Premiership Round 12 on Saturday.

There are three personnel changes and two positional switches from the team that beat London Irish last time out.

Centres Sam Spink and Michael Le Bourgeois both return to the starting team.

Jimmy Gopperth switches to fly-half, as Jacob Umaga misses out through suspension, after he was red carded in the closing stages of the Boxing Day game. Gopperth forms the half-back partnership with Sam Wolstenholme.

Josh Bassett reverts to his more regular position on the wing. He is joined by Francois Hougaard and try-scorer last week Ali Crossdale, in the back three.

The pack has one change from last Sunday, as Nizaam Carr comes in at openside flanker. The side is captained by Brad Shields at blindside flanker. Alfie Barbeary completes the back row at number eight.

Tom West and Biyi Alo start as the props again. They pack down alongside hooker Dan Frost, who scored a two-tries in the win against Irish.

Elliott Stooke is joined by Vaea Fifita in the second row to complete the line-up.

On the bench, Charlie Atkinson and Rob Miller return from injury to make their first appearances of the season. Bomber Hislop also returns to the squad amongst the replacements.

Tom Willis is in line to make his 50th Wasps appearance from amongst the substitutes. He is joined by Tom Cruse, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, Tim Cardall and Will Porter as the other replacements.

Wasps team to face Sale Sharks at the AJ Bell stadium on New Year’s Day (kick-off 2:00pm)

Wasps (First-team appearances)

15 Ali Crossdale (

14 Francois Hougaard (5)

13 Sam Spink (10)

12 Michael Le Bourgeois (67)

11 Josh Bassett (160)

10 Jimmy Gopperth (138)

9 Sam Wolstenholme (24)

1 Tom West (59)

2 Dan Frost (7)

3 Biyi Alo (24)

4 Vaea Fifita (9)

5 Elliott Stooke (10)

6 Brad Shields (63) (c)

7 Nizaam Carr (65)

8 Alfie Barbeary (18)

Replacements

16 Tom Cruse (104)

17 Robin Hislop (10)

18 Jeffery Toomaga-Allen (55)

19 Tim Cardall (39)

20 Tom Willis (49) / Kieran Curran (3)

21 Will Porter (38)

22 Charlie Atkinson (17)

23 Rob Miller (126)

Unavailable (18): Malakai Fekitoa, James Gaskell, Ben Harris, Joe Launchbury, Rodrigo Martinez, Elliot Millar-Mills, Ryan Mills, Matteo Minozzi, Ben Morris, Paolo Odogwu, Gabriel Oghre, Dan Robson, Will Simonds, Jacob Umaga, Theo Vukasinovic, Marcus Watson, Jack Willis, Thomas Young.   

[Rossm]

No Quirke or Tom Curry.

TT & Chesty on the bench.

[WonkyWasp]

Like that team and  the bench.  I fully understand why 20 has got two players named but it does conjure up a lovely picture of the two of them going round the field with their legs tied to each other like a 3-legged race. 

[Shugs]

Really happy with that. Glad that Carr has got a start - too good not to. I think it’s the right call at 10. Again it’s the centres that worry me - hope Spink gets through.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

No Quirke or Tom Curry, but MacGinty, van Rensburg, Ben Curry, both du Preez and de Jager are in. A strong team.

[Beasties]

Charlie Atkinson back, awesome!!

[mike909]

Again, a more than decent pack with excellent back row. Backs is slightly "what's left" though happy to see Josh back at wing and v pleased to see Charlie back on the bench. I'd guess it's possible that if it's not going brill in the centre - Charlie comes on at 10 and Jimmy shifts across...    That's a more than useful back three....need to get them ball in good places - all are finishers of the first order.

Need to manage the game again - we were poor in defence last week - but no surprise given that I doubt that backs line up had even done many run outs before....so I'd be hoping we'd look to avoid Sale getting the breaks that we offered too often last week.

Sale are no one's mugs - a win would be awesome, but at this point I'd probably take no injuries and a LBP...

[RogerE]

Was Martinez injured during the last match, or has he picked up an injury in training?

[Bloke in North Dorset]

Sale are no one's mugs - a win would be awesome, but at this point I'd probably take no injuries and a LBP...

A TPB would also be nice and we have the Frost/Barbeary try machine as well as the backs to do that.

Was Martinez injured during the last match, or has he picked up an injury in training?

I noticed that he was unavailable. I hope the injury jinx isn't continuing!

[coddy]

Not sure what Luke Mehson and Kibirige have done to get dropped from the 23 whilst a Scrum Half starts in their position on the wing but the Forwards look very strong again.

[Rossm]

Not sure what Luke Mehson and Kibirige have done to get dropped from the 23 whilst a Scrum Half starts in their position on the wing but the Forwards look very strong again.

Francois had been selected by the Boks to start on the wing in the past. Not entirely a stranger to the position.

[Neils]

Not sure what Luke Mehson and Kibirige have done to get dropped from the 23 whilst a Scrum Half starts in their position on the wing but the Forwards look very strong again.

Luke I agree but Zac seems to have gone off the boil again. The scrum half is actually a Springbok multi pick winger so think he will be ok

[Covkid40]

FH has actually looked better on the wing than at scrum half

[Heathen]

17 caps on the wing for the boks.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

Not sure what Luke Mehson and Kibirige have done to get dropped from the 23 whilst a Scrum Half starts in their position on the wing but the Forwards look very strong again.

Zac seems to be a going forwards players. When the team is on the back foot, he looks lost and not always 'there'.

Luke has a way to go in his game and physically before he will get a first team slot in anything other then extreme circumstances.

It makes more sense to put Josh back on his wing, and use Hougaard on the wing at 14, who is better defensively. Sadly, that allows Sale to ease up a little out on that wing, as Hougaard has not show any major running skills, but he can kick, so I have a feeling that when we have a scrum or lineout on our left, Yarde is going to sit deeper expecting to cover a kick. We should exploit that if they start to do it.