Post match thoughts

[Pompeyman]

Good point Rossm, however doesn't make up for basic errors like passing in front of running players. I don't think all is doom and gloom but we definitely need a revamp and not so many injuries to start next season. lest we forget the first half of the season was ridiculous with loanees, out of position players etc. let's hope we get a more settled start etc. Also best wishes Stookie, speedy recovery.

[westwaleswasp]

For me the last 15 minutes or so was like watching us trying to move the drinks cabinet one inch closer to Berlin. Plan A is not working, let's try plan A! It was stupid,brain dead  moronic rugby. Phase after phase and the gaps failed to appear, whilst Odogwu et al might have well left for the bar.
This is where me missed a fiver like  vocal 10 demanding that 9 give him the ball.
 The forwards seem determined to use up the time and several times we had clearly sucked them in and earnt the right to spin it out.

The management know how Sale play. You don't want an arm wrestle, even if you think you are going to win it. As the game went on we got into an arm wrestle. It was, in every sense of the word, a classic England 2021-2 performance. Pointless for great swathes of the match, and we could still be out there now not scoring.
The fixture list might be balls, 6 days vs 2 weeks, but we knew I was coming. The backs selection seems to be from the dice and coin method, that has not been due to injury.

Defence does not win titles. Great defence coaches say that, but you need to score, you can't expect Ws off the back of 60 pointless minutes. Fundamentally if we want to play like Chiefs we will never mount a top table challenge.
We need to be Wasps, and right now we are not.

[andermt]

Didn’t post last night after the game as I was fuming about Tempest and the ridiculous decisions that were made and what wasn’t vs what was checked.

Have started rewatching the match it hasn’t made my thoughts any better.
None of the commentary team agreed with the yellow for Dan, the clear out early on by de Jäger that wasn’t checked, who incidentally threw up on the pitch twice in the 2nd half, there was obviously something wrong with him but he was allowed to continue.
The disallowed sale try would have stood and a wasps player binned if Sara Cox hadn’t stepped in, never mind the very clear 50-22 that wasn’t given which the TMO only wanted to check it wasn’t out on the full as opposed to checking where it went out.
Without all the in at the sides Sale got away with etc.

As a team wasps are in a strange place, at times it feels we aren’t far away, just a few more balls making it to hand and we would be winning, but I think that would paper over the cracks.
Forward pack seems fine, and only getting better with signings, we have some great players not getting game time because it’s so strong, just hope Stooke isn’t too bad as he has been awesome this season. Still disappointed to see Young leave.
Backs and centres are more disjointed.
Robson has been okay despite what some people think, he’s had the odd bad game but still a strong 9 and more consistent than Porter, I’m not sure why he seems to get subbed off so soon in matches.
10 is a problem, Jacob is the most inconsistent player we have, he can go from amazing to terrible in 2 plays, heard a rumour he is only training as a 15 currently which worries me as we have 2 decent 15’s in the squad in Crossdale and Minozzi who aren’t getting game time, Crossdale had the best 15 performance we have seen in weeks last night. If you have actual 15’s in your squad who aren’t injured, play them at 15.
Back to 10, Jacob was the up and coming star above Smith 2 seasons ago, nowhere near now. Atkinson could be a strong 10 but needs time to develop, having another new young 10 join seems like the wrong decision, we need experience.
As much as Fekitoa is a brilliant player he has not shown it very often but 13 is a problem for Wasps, along with 12. Hopefully our new Saffa helps but with all the announcements of players leaving I really can’t get my head round Mills, why is he still at Wasps, it may be mercenary but he has been here years and  played minutes. He may be great but he isn’t playing. We need some experience in the centres.
With the issues around 10,12 & 13 the guys at 11 & 14 aren’t getting the ball, we have some decent wingers who aren’t getting the chance to shine. All the talk about Wade coming back, it would be pointless if we don’t get the ball out to the wings.

[mike909]

We have had a very hard season, a difficult season in terms of injuries and the ability to prepare because of injury? Too many players like Brad have played a lot of games - he's started 26 games...Tom W played in 23, ditto Oghre, ditto Alo, Stooke was in his 27th game. So that we kept the energy up in the pack most of the time, was to our credit. But it also means a lot of our players were probably rather knackered...

But that aside - even allowing for too many games (Josh was on game 28...) we too often looked like less than the sum of our parts and we do have to start looking at the coaches and focus of the coaching. I've been loath to have a go at the coaching set up in a season when whatever could go wrong did. Such that if you had your kit, you've have got a chance of a game....The coach driver must have fancied his chances :-) But even whilst making allowances, last night suggested that the tactics are not suiting the players - or visa versa. We've demonstrated poverty of game management too often, in recent games and we've shown a lack of thinking of the sort I've criticised in recent England performances. Our selections haven't been that poor....but we've played randomly well and too often poor. Sometimes in the same game.....

I do think that with the new players coming in, it's time to have a think about the coaching side. Is something is rotten in the State of Wasps?

[Andywasp50]

I agree - we could have the best wingers in the world but if they aren’t getting the ball it’s the service that’s the problem. It seems in philosophy we’ve traded our attacking flair for forwards and physicality.

Agree with the Robson yellow, but if you listen to Tempest’s mic just after he gives the pen you can hear Ross saying to him that ‘that was a pretty cynical piece of play’, Tempest asked Cox and she barely looks at it and agrees. Cox is very slapdash as TMO - seems to miss lots of important things and then pick up on the bits and pieces.

The mid second half interview with ‘skills coach’ Robinson was a bit embarrassing to be honest. Asked about what’s going on and what has been said at half time it was to ‘not let Sale dominate in the air’, and as for the scrum ‘I’ve no idea, that’s not my area’. As a salaried member of the coaching staff, is he adding any value?

Again on the coaching side, I think Umaga is the more creative 10, but he’s just gone backwards and is way too poor in the air to be a 15. I’d have hoped our coaches would have improved him and tightened his game up but it’s gone the other way. I’m a little nervous that Barbeary is plateauing from the rampaging threat he was too and think Tom Willis is the better 8 at the mo.

We’ve also let our two most reliable kickers go in Gopps and Miller, so it feels like it’s not been thought through properly. We should have given Miller a run at full back and give him a chance to cement the role. it would solve the 15 problem and the kicking for next season.

[Heathen]

Agree with the Robson yellow, but if you listen to Tempest’s mic just after he gives the pen you can hear Ross saying to him that ‘that was a pretty cynical piece of play’, Tempest asked Cox and she barely looks at it and agrees. Cox is very slapdash as TMO - seems to miss lots of important things and then pick up on the bits and pieces.

I though Sara was running the line and Claire Hignett was the TMO.

[Come on Dai Young]

Sara Cox was a touch judge last night; Claire Hodnett was the TMO.

[andermt]

Thankfully Cox was the touch judge last night as prevented the Sale try they knocked on as the TMO never saw it. I also don’t think the other touch judge would have seen it or raised it either.

[WonkyWasp]

Thank heaven for Sara Cox.  (Not meant sarcastically at all)

[Neils]

But her colleague Claire doing TMO duties seemed missing in the first half.

The other point on RefLink was the language of the Sale forwards - completely filthy.

Should be a top seed in the Challenge Cup though.

[Shugs]

One issue for me has been selection. I’m not sure with Mills fit why Jimmy played so much. Spink and Fekitoa is tight. Odogwu on the wing for Hougaard just seems obvious and watching Crossdale last night I’ve still no idea how he hasn’t been the starting 15.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

Claire Hodnett also want missed that a clearance from outside the 22 had bounced in to touch and wanted to take play back for a scrum to Sale.

[Shugs]

Officiating wise what really frustrates me is the myth of the scrum penalty. If you lose the line out is that an infringement? Is it a penalty if you get knocked backwards in a tackle? No, you’ve just given momentum/possession to the opposition. No idea why being bettered in the scrum is a penalty. Watching the game back today you could hear Sale players packing down talking about getting the pen. Tempest made his mind up early and between that and the current vogue of pens at scrums we lost.

[westwaleswasp]

She often seems to pitch up with "Tempo" in charge, and yet they don't make a great couple.
Honestly, although Tempest had some odd decisions, and if not for intervention we could have been a try/card worse off, it has to be said that their set piece was better than ours, and the overall decisions cost us nothing compared to what we cost ourselves. I know Dobby should not have been given yellow, but I am not sure he should have been risking what he did where we were on the pitch. 
The in at the side aspect of Sale's breakdown work happens all the time, we know it, our coaches know it. Complaining it is not reffed is like moaning about Chiefs going off their feet, generally the teams doing this get away with it, just as we used to with scrums going uncontested. We were not streetwise and in our last two prem matches have blown it. 

[Mellie]

I'm not sure why Reed didn't get at least a yellow for his part in Stooke's injury. I know they didn't show a replay but Hodnett could have checked it, like I did since I had recorded it.

Basically, Reed launched himself flying over the lifters and hit Elliott directly while he was still in the air. Ridiculously dangerous.