Wasps Recruitment Aims

[Neils]

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/rugby/wasps-recruitment-aim-explained-lee-23686500

[wasps]

The article makes it sound like it's a surprise that a dominant forward pack will win you games.


That's always been how rugby is.


Every few years, some clubs and national sides try to win without dominating the set pieces. Some of the time, that's been us.
But ultimately, the game is a lot easier if you don't try to reinvent the wheel.


Get some forwards that are good at doing forwards stuff.
Then build a back line to work off of them.




The forwards win you the game, the backs tell you by how much.
It's the way it's always been, and it's the way I always want it to be

[hookender]

Article also suggests JTA will be leaving

[Shugs]

Yes, everyone knows a dominant forward pack wins you things. Therefore we should be pleased that’s where Blackett is heading. Not many front rows will live with a first up propping duo of West and Koch. It will be genuinely strange to go into games expecting to boss scrum time  and will give us a chance of winning things.

[Wombles]

It’s an old adage but still true that forwards win you games and the backs decide by how much.

Injuries have been damaging to our ambitions over the last few seasons, but our true Achilles heel has been our forwards. If you do not have a scrum, line out or set piece game then you will never get enough field position or point scoring opportunities. And ultimately it costs you wins that torpedo any chance of success.

As a back there is no greater joy than walking forward when your pack are rumbling on in the maul, or having time and space to launch moves because the forwards have put the oppo defence on the back foot and tied in their forwards to try to stop us on the gain line. It is why the slower, physical, set piece orientated game can be just as enthralling as the fast flowing game, as so much determination, organisation and sheer will is needed to best your opponent.

[backdoc]

Hang on, chaps. We are not there yet.

There is more to it than recruiting a couple of props and an uncapped 2nd row.

[HDAWG]

Hang on, chaps. We are not there yet.

There is more to it than recruiting a couple of props and an uncapped 2nd row.

+1

[baldpaul101]

Whilst I think recruiting two pros at the top of their game is a great start. But if you look at the teams at the top of the table they don't have star studded packs (with the exception of Sarries for reasons we all know about). Its about having a forward unit that can do all the set piece stuff well.
The Wasps lineout is looking decent, maul not bad, maul defence has looked both good & bad, scrum needs work.
I think fans should be optimistic for next year, but the proof will be in September

[Shugs]

No, we’re not there yet but we’ve recognised what we need to do and done it. No guarantee at all that this will translate to wins on the field but it has a better chance of doing so than what we currently have.

[wasps]

Hang on, chaps. We are not there yet.

There is more to it than recruiting a couple of props and an uncapped 2nd row.

Absolutely. We may find that they can't work together and the pack can't play as a unit.


But, on paper, we already have launchbury who is a multi capped lock.
We've seen what Stooke can provide and Gaskell always plays well.
Our back row is already chock full of talent and is likely a match for most/all teams.


Back up front, we know that West is a strong scrummager, Harris is also very powerful and Martinez looked very good before his injury.




All in all, we already have most of what we need, but tight head prop is often seen as the most important position as far as scrummaging goes. So with Koch, Ryan and Alo we have quality and depth there too




While it's no guarantee of success, it's a big step in the right direction

[Beasties]

Yes, everyone knows a dominant forward pack wins you things. Therefore we should be pleased that’s where Blackett is heading. Not many front rows will live with a first up propping duo of West and Koch. It will be genuinely strange to go into games expecting to boss scrum time  and will give us a chance of winning things.

+1

[Hymenoptera]

Yes, everyone knows a dominant forward pack wins you things. Therefore we should be pleased that’s where Blackett is heading. Not many front rows will live with a first up propping duo of West and Koch. It will be genuinely strange to go into games expecting to boss scrum time  and will give us a chance of winning things.

+1

-1
Forwards win, backs by how much..The statement is as old and cliché as it get's. The notion that Koch, as good as he is, is the savior of our game is as ludicrous as it is naïve and a disservice to Ayo, who is clearly now tagged a weak link having been lauded only yesterday.
Saints have a terrible pack and look on for top 4, Quins have an average one..we reached recent finals through back play, not forward play..so pick the bones out of that.
Without sufficiently strengthening the area's that are genuinely weak, forwards will improve your game, the backs will decide how much we lose by.
Blackett still not seeing the wood for the tree's IMO.

[Rossm]

Yes, everyone knows a dominant forward pack wins you things. Therefore we should be pleased that’s where Blackett is heading. Not many front rows will live with a first up propping duo of West and Koch. It will be genuinely strange to go into games expecting to boss scrum time  and will give us a chance of winning things.

+1

-1
Forwards win, backs by how much..The statement is as old and cliché as it get's. The notion that Koch, as good as he is, is the savior of our game is as ludicrous as it is naïve and a disservice to Ayo, who is clearly now tagged a weak link having been lauded only yesterday.
Saints have a terrible pack and look on for top 4, Quins have an average one..we reached recent finals through back play, not forward play..so pick the bones out of that.
Without sufficiently strengthening the area's that are genuinely weak, forwards will improve your game, the backs will decide how much we lose by.
Blackett still not seeing the wood for the tree's IMO.

How do I know a Hymenoptera post as soon as I have read the first sentence?

[HDAWG]

Forwards win, backs by how much..The statement is as old and cliché as it get's. The notion that Koch, as good as he is, is the savior of our game is as ludicrous as it is naïve and a disservice to Ayo, who is clearly now tagged a weak link having been lauded only yesterday.
Saints have a terrible pack and look on for top 4, Quins have an average one..we reached recent finals through back play, not forward play..so pick the bones out of that.
Without sufficiently strengthening the area's that are genuinely weak, forwards will improve your game, the backs will decide how much we lose by.
Blackett still not seeing the wood for the tree's IMO.

Tbf I agree with some of what you said. Specifically I don't think Koch and Ryan will solve all our problems and I'm particularly concerned with the backs going into next season.

That said we reached finals recently through good forwards and backs. Willis and Young maintained our possession. And Kieran Brookes was in fantastic form for us before he left.

So whilst I'm apprehensive as well, these new forwards might help us yet.

[wasps]

Throughout my time supporting wasps, I've used the line "there's more than 1 way to win a war".
I've meant that dominant forwards play is the way other clubs do it, and we look for alternative solutions.


What I've come to realise over time is that it's easier to be good with a strong forward pack, and it's more likely to be successful over an extended period of time.


Clubs can win without being dominant up front, but typically it'll be short lived success