Recruitment freeze lifted

[westwaleswasp]

Really using the old cricket adage of taking the score and adding two wickets on, looking at our fit squad, a couple of long term injuries in the backs and we will struggle, especially given the way some struggled for form last year. We look OK now, just about, but the depth up front is so much more apparent.

[Neils]

Racing looking at Duhan van der Merwe which might suggest Wade would be free.

[HDAWG]

Natural target for us would be Lawrence.

+1

[wasps]

What this does mean is that there categorically was a recruitment freeze before.
Until now, wasn't it just a rumour?

[Shugs]

I think that is right Wasps. Blackett alludes to it in the article.

[mike909]

Natural target for us would be Lawrence.

+1

+2 especially as he's v unlikely to be wanted by England....and assuming fitness.

[matelot22]

Venter may not be a bad signing either if Lawrence not available. In my little dream world of signings, I'd have a centre, another 2nd row and a wing/full back, maybe one of the Kitcheners for the second row???

I know this is a bit of a ghoulish post, but all conjecture in any case....

[JonnyD]

Lawrence is a bit of an enigma for me.
Always described in England selection discussions as a Manu alternative - but for me he is a very different player.
Not sure how England used him because he never got the ball.
He is much much smaller than Manu and I have never really seen him as a crash ball specialist but more of a silky runner at 13 - sure Worcester don’t use him as a crash ball, that’s where Beck and Venter come in.

Only thing he seems to have in common with Manu is his injury record.
I’m not sure he’d be the best investment despite his talents. Venter would be preferable for me

[Peej]

Lawrence will be in high demand. D VDW will go wherever the money is highest, he is proper mercenary. Hatherall and Hill will not be short of offers, they are quality but we are overloaded in the backrow as it is.

Fin Smith will be fighting people off, but we already have three young 10s (even if he is potentially better than all of them). The Kitcheners are a bit soft, they're no better than what we alreayd have. It's Shillcock and Humphries that I'd really be looking at if it came to it.

[Jac A]

I agree it's a bit weird and vulture-y to be picking over Warriors like this but it is just discussion.

I agree with JonnyD that the Manu comparison seems a bit of a media projection, always trying to find a similar player. Lawrence is still a powerfully build guy and has a good fend, but he's more hips and swerve than bosch. I'd say his biggest strengths are his running lines and how he takes the ball on the line and accelerates through. I'd say this fits out style nicely as Charlie and Jacob aren't scared to get to the line, Mills too as a 12. He is also a try scorer - he averages a try every 214 mins (1 try every 2.68 full games) for Worcester (Venter by contrast 588 mins or a try every 7.3 full games). Also Lawrence is 8 years younger than Venter and had a great partnership with Mills - I also believe he's a good friend of Hougaard. I agree injuries and potentially personality (*but this is just based on Eddie Jones comments so make of that what you will*) are issues to be considered but I would defo look to get Lawrence, we could do with another 13, he will fit our style and add a more exciting, attacking element.

Elsewhere my thoughts would be maybe short-term loose-head cover? Morovov or even McCallum on a three month contract would enable them to find long term clubs while being paid and give us cover while Martinez and Harris are injured and West is a bit fragile.

Another short term option might be Fergus Lee-Warner. He's versatile and has played lock enough. I'd expect his to be looking to go back to SR at the start of next year but a contract 'till Christmas provides cover for Stooke (and Launch if he is called up in the autumn). If we were looking for a longer term second row - Joe Batley would be my pick.

In the backs, I like Jamie Shillcock but wonder if that gives us too many similar 15 options - Jacob, Ali, Matteo and him. Noah Heward and Harri Doel would both be good young additions at wing and I would take either to bolster our options there, Heward would be first choice.

Looking at their academy, with Eckersly not in the academy now it seems and Corbin Thunder who I think will be like Aflie and end up in the backrow we might poach Finn Theobald-Thomas, their Eng U20 hooker. Also Seb Atkinson at centre looked good last season (except when he got scragged by Tom Willis) - 20 years old, good distributer and playmaker but we do have Hartley, Simonds and also Myall in the U18s.

[mike909]

Lawrence would be in demand. He was pissed on by England -  got blamed for not being Manu when he's a v different player with a different skillset. And never got a pass. I think he looks good ball in hand and looks to distribute. Something that I always found Manu wasn't the best at - least earlier on in his career. And why I found him at 12 an odd choice.

Lawrence would fit nicely with us. Especially if/when we look to play a second 5/8th style of second playmaker from 12 or 15, he'd certainly get an opportunity! He'd have something in common with Dan too, in that they both don't seem to be on the same wavelength as Jones....

[Neils]

Neil Fissler
@neilfissler
·
10m
Hearing that Worcester Warriors players will be paid later today and that interestingly Wasps players haven’t been paid yet.

[InBetweenWasp]

Difficult to tell with Fissler what's true and what's not.  Sometimes he's spot on and others he's miles off. 

Let's hope this is the latter.

[andermt]

He also likes to stir things up. I take most of what he says with a pinch of salt.

[matelot22]

Difficult to tell with Fissler what's true and what's not.  Sometimes he's spot on and others he's miles off. 

Let's hope this is the latter.

I also get the feeling that he's not particularly fond of us, for whatever reason....