Teams Up for The Cheats - Joe Starts.

[Rossm]

Lee Blackett has named his side to host Saracens at the Coventry Building Society Arena in Gallagher Premiership Round 14 on Sunday.

There are seven personnel changes and three positional switches from the team that took on Munster last Sunday.

Club Captain Joe Launchbury makes his long-awaited return to the starting line-up at lock. He forms the second-row partnership with Elliott Stooke.

Vaea Fifita returns to action, as he plays at blindside flanker for the first time in his Wasps career. Fifita is joined in the back row by Brad Shields, who starts at number eight for the first time this season, and Gabriel Oghre at openside flanker.

In the front row, Biyi Alo is back at tighthead prop, as he joins Tom Cruse and Rodrigo Martinez.

In the backs there is a new midfield pairing, as Jimmy Gopperth is joined by Sam Spink. The duo formed the centre partnership that took to the field in the win over Leicester Tigers earlier this month.

Ali Crossdale misses out with an injury picked up against Munster. That means Marcus Watson switches from the wing to cover full-back, while Paolo Odogwu moves onto the right wing. Josh Bassett completes the back three.

Dan Robson forms the half-back partnership with Charlie Atkinson once more.

On the bench, Malakai Fekitoa makes his long-awaited return from injury. He is joined by Michael van Vuuren, Tom West, Elliot Millar-Mills, James Gaskell, Sam Wolstenholme and Rob Miller as the other replacements.

Wasps team to face Saracens at the Coventry Building Society Arena on Sunday (kick-off 3:00pm)

Wasps (First-team appearances)

15 Marcus Watson (61)

14 Paolo Odogwu (25)

13 Sam Spink (13)

12 Jimmy Gopperth (141)

11 Josh Bassett (164)

10 Charlie Atkinson (21)

9 Dan Robson (143)

1 Rodrigo Martinez (3)

2 Tom Cruse (108)

3 Biyi Alo (27)

4 Joe Launchbury (160) (c)

5 Elliott Stooke (13)

6 Vaea Fifita (10)

7 Gabriel Oghre (55)

8 Brad Shields (67)

Replacements

16 Michael van Vuuren (5)

17 Tom West (61)

18 Elliot Millar-Mills (6)

19 James Gaskell (145)

20 Ben Morris (47)

21 Sam Wolstenholme (27)

22 Malakai Fekitoa (38)

23 Rob Miller (129)

Unavailable (14): Alfie Barbeary, Ali Crossdale, Dan Frost, Ben Harris, Francois Hougaard, Zach Kibirige, Ryan Mills, Matteo Minozzi, Will Porter, Will Simonds, Jacob Umaga, Jack Willis, Tom Willis, Thomas Young.

[Neils]

Hmmm Launch straight in kind of worries me as does Watson at F/B otherwise as good as we could expect.

[Rossm]

Fifita first game at 6.

[Rossm]

And now the enemy.

1 Mako Vunipola (cc)
2 Tom Woolstencroft
3 Vincent Koch
4 Callum Hunter-Hill
5 Tim Swinson
6 Theo McFarland
7 Ben Earl
8 Billy Vunipola

9 Ivan van Zyl
10 Manu Vunipola
11 Alex Lewington
12 Nick Tompkins
13 Alex Lozowski
14 Rotimi Segun
15 Alex Goode (cc)

Replacements:

16 Ethan Lewis
17 Eroni Mawi
18 Alec Clarey
19 Janco Venter
20 Andy Christie
21 Aled Davies
22 Brandon Jackson
23 Sean Maitland

[Westy68]

Considering the injury list we still have, that's not a bad side. So please to see Joe back, not convinced about Watson at full back. He has really not brought anything to the table lets hope that changes.

Our bench is stronger, we can take them

[MartinB - Radnage Wasp]

Agreed....that is about as good as we could have expected. The areas of concern for me are fullback and front row where we are going to be under pressure. That back row confrontation is going to be really interesting!

Disappointed not to see Ryan Mills and Crossdale available......any news on them as I thought we had been told Mills would be available for selection?

[COYW15]

Welcome back Joe & Malakai.

Injury list down to 14, which seems quite light relative to how it has been!

Feeling quietly confident about this one. Then again I felt that last week...

[Westy68]

The front row doesn't bother me that much apart from Koch v Martinez. I feel Alo can take Mako.

It will definitely play a part in the game if we take them in the scrum

[Rossm]

Agreed....that is about as good as we could have expected. The areas of concern for me are fullback and front row where we are going to be under pressure. That back row confrontation is going to be really interesting!

Disappointed not to see Ryan Mills and Crossdale available......any news on them as I thought we had been told Mills would be available for selection?

Ryan Mills was pulled due to illness from the Munster game. Probably Covid +.

[hookender]

Might be a case of letting joe do a 30 min session  first as has happened to others? Also making him captain for first game back ,rather than finding his match day feet, seems strange. Unless shields is happy to relinquish?

[Bloke in North Dorset]

I shouldn't think Brad will have a problem with losing the captaincy. Joe is a happy to consult and take advice and it frees Brad from having to think for the team and I think Joe is better with refs.

[Shugs]

Probably a half of Launchbury and a half of Gaskell with Fifita around to cover anything extra if needed. Bench wise looks good but I wonder how fit West and Morris are.

[Neils]

Probably a half of Launchbury and a half of Gaskell with Fifita around to cover anything extra if needed. Bench wise looks good but I wonder how fit West and Morris are.

Morris is OK- he came on against Munster

[Vespula Vulgaris]

Agreed....that is about as good as we could have expected. The areas of concern for me are fullback and front row where we are going to be under pressure. That back row confrontation is going to be really interesting!

Disappointed not to see Ryan Mills and Crossdale available......any news on them as I thought we had been told Mills would be available for selection?

I'm always less worried about our scrum when Cruse is in it. We always give the credit to the Props, but Cruse adds something a little bit special.

[mike909]

Always important to get away to a good start vs the EA's and a solid start at the set piece will be important. With Stooke and Launch starting, the scrum will have power - backed up by Brad and Fifita. We cannot afford to give them space or get on top.

The have an excellent midfield  but if they don't get much ball then it doesn't matter so much. We have pace and power in the back three, and it would be good to look to use that as often as possible - and with two distributors we ought to have the chance

My main hope is that Charlie has got over the need for the hero pass and that Jimmy provides some game management. Really don't want to give them something for nothing.....