Lee reveals 'three things' he'd love fans to say about club this season

[Rossm]

Report from Bobby Bridge.

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/sport/rugby/wasps-boss-lee-blackett-reveals-24840631

[coddy]

I think teams will have to work very hard to beat us this coming season as we have a Forward Pack to match any team in the Premiership but I'm not confident we will have cured our lack of passing and catching skills just yet.

[JonnyD]

Have to say that I don’t really like the mindset that we’d want a set piece that wins penalties.
I would rather it be a solid foundation for us to launch cutting attacks from, however that’s the way the game has headed I guess.

I suppose I would prefer our scrum to win pens instead of lose them though.

[Vespula Vulgaris]

I think those are three very depressing things to hear from the Head Coach of a team that has been known for flair, and champagne rugby for years.

I don't want a set piece that wins penalties, I want a scrum that doesn't go backwards against the head, and gets the ball out as fast as possible with the head.  I want a lineout that gets the ball into play as quickly as possible, and steals it more often than the opposition want to admit. And I don't want a squad considered skillful.  Surely that should be the baseline?  I want a decently skillful squad with a few bloody magicians scattered through it.  Wade running at defenders, Piutau carving a hole where no-one else saw one, Beale flicking an offload no-one else even saw, Jackson chipping over Toulon's defence at full sprint.  I want to see a massive hulk of a backrow kicking out of hand as he races down the line (Thanks Ash), I want to see a loose head charge down a centre, I want to see a tighthead pull of a dummy pass and go on to score.

I want to see Wasps play Wasps style rugby.  I don't want solid and dependable, I want all or nothing highlight reels!

[Bloke in North Dorset]

Have to say that I don’t really like the mindset that we’d want a set piece that wins penalties.
I would rather it be a solid foundation for us to launch cutting attacks from, however that’s the way the game has headed I guess.

I suppose I would prefer our scrum to win pens instead of lose them though.

Incentives matter. As we’ve discussed on here a number of times, until TBTB change scrum offences to free kicks and they just become a way of restarting the game, as nature intended, teams will look to be dominant at them.

The maul is also becoming far too potent and some way needs to be found to stop teams relying on it.  It’s good to watch occasionally but it gets tedious when all teams do is catch and drive.

The game needs variety and that means getting the ball out to the backs more often.

[matelot22]

I think someone has already coined the phrase somewhere on this forum, "A poor man's Exeter". This kind of affirms that. All I have to say is, "Please no!!!!"

[Chunky24]

While a functioning dominant scrum can gain penalties it also creates attacking opportunities for backs as oppo back row have to stay on, tighthead can get his side up creating space etc.
Similarly a functioning dominant line out, if the oppo don't know whether it is coming off the top, being driven or something in between then that also creates opportunities for backs.
I don't think Lee is meaning the entire game will be solely be focused on scrum / line out penalties but they are basics you can go back to when things aren't working and they are also attacking weapons to create space for backs us wearing opportunities packs down creating turnover opportunities around the pitch which again are often the best attacking chances.

[backdoc]

I look at it from the opposite perspective.

I want Wasps to stop putting themselves under pressure by conceding penalties in the scrum/maul. A good attacking game works much better when the pressure is on the opposition.

[Neils]

As I sit in my seat at the CBSA I first want to drive home with a win.
So as long as the laws of the game and the inept refereeing dictate a match is played in a certain "non Wasps way" then I want the players on the bumpy pitch to play to the referee. If that means our scrum not being in retreat but pushing forward or the forwards rolling over for a try from a mass free for all. Then so be it.
To sit through matches (all of them) and discussing on the 2/3 hrs drive home how well we played for the narrow defeat gets a tad wearing!

[baldpaul101]

There were 4 major things wrong with Wasps last season.

The scrum was terrible, conceding penalties & not providing a decent platform
The backs couldn't catch & pass
Winning positions were too often lost with minutes/seconds to go
Too many injuries.

We as supporters have moaned on here about these issues and wondered why the coaches haven't done anything.
All pre-season focus appears to have been on dealing with the first 3 and yet now we have people complaining we will become "Exeter lite"?
Would posters prefer to have the scrums be a massive area of weakness like they have been for a couple of seasons? Maybe go back to having the line out be a shambles like it was with Trevor throwing in in those good old days?

Lets give the coaching team an opportunity to show if they have made a difference. They'll be plenty of time in October to write off the season after a few games

[hopwood]

If a referee does put the arm out...and call penalty (in any situation) it does give the 9, 10 and the backs...carte blanche to play with absolute freedom, without retribution.

We used to marvel at the teams that had the audacity to play from any scenario, but more frequently these days, teams wait until the referee gives them advantage (after applying pressure)...before being a bit more ambitious and throwing it around to find the gap.

[Rossm]

We've had two dreadful seasons. I don't want a third. I want wins and frankly I don't really worry about how they're achieved. Lets start winning again and the style and flair will follow. As will the spectators.

[Neils]

We've had two dreadful seasons. I don't want a third. I want wins and frankly I don't really worry about how they're achieved. Lets start winning again and the style and flair will follow. As will the spectators.

+1

[Shugs]

I’m happy with what Blackett has said. Its so much easier to play good flowing rugby off the front foot so I don’t see forward domination and good backs play as an either or. I’ll happily rejoice in some scrum penalties and driving mauls if they get us wins. I think we have to cut the coaches some slack in that they’ll never please everyone. I completely agree however that our play in the backs has to be far better next season.

[InBetweenWasp]

The other week a United fan (who also happens to be a Quins fan) was being teased about why they moan when they lose (The day they played Brentford), then why they moan when win they moan about the way that they won and that it's 'not the United way'.

As a Wasps fan, I get it - Our DNA is a fierce defence, punching above our weight and counter-attacking with pace and precision.  That DNA is part of the reason I began coming to Wasps games (That and my rugby hero at school was Dallaglio); Richmond, Quins and Irish would have been easier to go see location-wise. 

In some of our best seasons, we looked a shambles until Christmas time then started to peak.  I don't want to win every game by Mauls and Penalty Kicks/Tries.  I want to be entertained. 

I could maybe put up with it for a season if we won something but really wouldn't want to see 2-3 seasons of kick-tennis, penalties and power, power power.  I've got Saracens a much closer distance to home for that.  We had it last season where we spent far too long trying to bully teams.  Our lineout and maul were pretty decent.  But they were responsible for the majority of our tries - either that, or the forwards were bundling over from close range.

Perhaps we've been completely spoilt, but there's been more moments of absolute magic than I can think of watching us play. 

That's the identity and DNA we need to recapture and it'll also help get people watching in the Stadium again - When Lee first tookover he spoke about focussing on unstructured play and turnover ball.  He highlighted them as strengths.  Sure we want to continually strengthen our pack and set-piece, but not to strangle the opposition into submission.