Edinburgh v Wasps: Post Match Thoughts.

[Wombles]

Scrapped the win.

Communication a problem.

Must get better.

Perhaps we should feel elated, but I simply feel a frustrated relief. We are a better team than that which we saw today. Full credit to Edinburgh they went full tilt into that, and had our backs in all kinds of trouble. Robbo had an absolute mare, but it was clear the whole backline were fragmented. Have the long term injuries and lack of time together? the playing of players out of position? Kibirige is not a full back Hougaard is good in attack as a wing but goes missing in defence. My suspicion is it is a combination but the lack of consistency in selection is not allowing for relationships to grow, and it shows. We also HAVE to start playing much more off 10, going off 9 is putting too much on Robbo, and may well be why his form is suffering. He is much better than he was today.
Full credit to the forwards though, we know we need to get more powerful in this area if we want to win silverware, and today they dragged us to a win and deserve the credit. However the whole team need to know the rules of the game more, Atkinsons first half charge down, going off feet when latched to the tackled player..it costs penalties, position and points. Sir Clive Woodward said it best TCUP....and if we want to move forward we need to evolve this far more. We were drawn into a scrap today, and if not for some fortuitous decisions in our favour from sir we may well be wishing Edinburgh luck rather than looking to Lyon v Glasgow to see who we are facing next weekend.
The coaches, well they have to show their worth now, in selection, in style, in plans, in leadership. We look fragmented to often, and the loss of direction in the first 40 showed a team unsure of what they should be doing. Lee et al need to take us forward beyond this, and the win should not hide the weaknesses and work ons we have.

If we want to win this, we need to be far far better than today, compare and contrast with Saracens last night, whatever you think of them as a club, that was a performance we need to aspire to. If we want silverware, we want to be back at the top consistently, we need to be honest with ourselves and recognise how far we need to go.

But the lads deserve credit, they dogged out a win when not playing well, and need to build on this. Perhaps the best of today is that we get to go again in a semi final of a European competition...and that should never be sniffed at.

Chris

Once a Wasp ALWAYS a Wasp.

[Shugs]

Agree with a lot of what you say Wombles. The way our forwards dominated that should have been a walk in the park. But again our inaccuracy and game management was suspect. Our backs were poor but you can’t really judge Bassett or Hougaard who never had the ball. Our 9, 10, 15 isn’t quite clicking. But hey, a win away in Edinburgh. Alo and West becoming a formidable pair and the back row and locks were just phenomenal.

[Westy68]

Wombles you’re spot on, totally agree with that.

Well done lads for winning, as winning is always good. The pack is very good and they can dominate a lot of teams.

The 9,10 and 15 is the complete opposite

[mike909]

Agree with the above. The key frustration is that for 65 mins last week - the same 9 and 10 had an excellent game - only for a teamwide brain fart to let us down. Dan looked like the international that he is when playing well, vs LI, and today, looked like it was his first game back after a break.

Kibirige is a winger it seems, Jacob is the better choice there - if he doesn't look towards playing 10.

If I was a coach (heaven forbid...) I'd be having a long think about how we can play so well and so badly, in the same game and week to week....Something isn't coming together - especially going forwards - but not consistently....

Pleased to win - but given we're playing well up front and things are a bit "random" behind, perhaps we need to look pragmatically at our next few games?

[backdoc]

John Ryan has just been absolutely pasted by the Toulouse scrum in their QF match.
Alo may still be a starting prop next year!

I think he is getting better game by game, and is my player of the season. He has had to take on huge responsibility in the scrum, and he is very game in defence and attack.

BB gives him 9* today.

[westwaleswasp]

For me, the first half was the most brain dead half of rugby I have seen from us in perhaps years.
At times some of the lads were playing sevens with ludicrous offloads.
Right from early on, when we were obviously going to get a scrum pen and picked it up instead if keeping it in and then picking it up, we made poor decisions. I am not a fan of teams closing to scrum when awarded a penalty in their 22, but when awarded a free kick in yours and you have such a dominant scrum, you take the scrum.
Decisions taken seemed to sabotahe us.
The second was better, but there were still brain dead moments.
Player wise, I am fine with Hougard on the wing, but Kiberige really should not be there, I think we all agree with that.
Dan really seemed to be an odd mix of super sharp and super flappy.
Not sure where Atkinson is, seemed that very little went through him. Credit to the centres though.

[backdoc]

I am concerned that the backs are getting conflicting messages from inexperienced coaches. I struggle to find any other explaination for their incredibly incoherent play today.

[Rossm]

Simple. My post match thought.

Better to win than to lose - particularly when it's a knockout game.

[Neils]

Simple. My post match thought.

Better to win than to lose - particularly when it's a knockout game.

+1 can't argue with that.

[hopwood]

I am concerned that the backs are getting conflicting messages from inexperienced coaches. I struggle to find any other explaination for their incredibly incoherent play today.

I agree with you.
It has to be a coaching issue.
We've seen these same players do it before...and attack with real intensity and creativity.

Something is amiss.

[Andywasp50]

Completely agree with most sentiments especially west Wales - we were absolutely brainless.

Our complete lack of intelligence was summed up in the first half when, with their scrum on toast and us with a free kick in our 22, instead of scrummaging again to force a pen we bewilderingly chose to kick to touch, only for Charlie - who was awful today - to get charged down and Edinburgh score a second try from the ensuing line out.

We were aimlessly chucking the ball around with no structure or cohesion. Just on the half time whistle, you could hear the coaches screaming at Atkinson to roll away from the ruck as he just lay in there - any other ref would have given a pen. He should be alive to that himself surely. The Porter again posturing over the ball in the last minute in our 22 and their prop waltzing up and taking it from under his nose. These players have all the ability but just seem to be lacking the top two inches at key times.

Ref didn’t help with some bizarre decisions for both sides (especially not awarding us the penalty try), but what a cameo by Gaskell!

Got to agree its a coaching issue as much of it is about making the right decisions at the right time. We have to be mentally sharper, better at pressure situations and show more control.

As Ross says, great that we won. Be nicer if it was easier on the nerves though.

[Shugs]

John Ryan has just been absolutely pasted by the Toulouse scrum in their QF match.
Alo may still be a starting prop next year!

I think he is getting better game by game, and is my player of the season. He has had to take on huge responsibility in the scrum, and he is very game in defence and attack.

BB gives him 9* today.

He did win a couple as well! But basically a TH trio of Koch, Ryan and Alo means we’ll be looking forward to scrum time next year. Alo has improved unbelievably well this year and not just at the set piece.

[MarleyWasp]

In Ryan's defence, his opposition had their own gravitational pull...

[HDAWG]

I am concerned that the backs are getting conflicting messages from inexperienced coaches. I struggle to find any other explaination for their incredibly incoherent play today.

+1

[Rossm]

There were several howlers today but the biggest IMO was when Dobby, obviously thinking (imagining 50/22?) chipped a little kick straight into touch. Don't know what is up with his game but there's something amiss.