Wasps Present?

[wasps]

Do any transfer fees have to be included in the cap?

If so, it's fair to assume that Saracens will be operating at the limit of the cap, they have players retiring that they'll presumably be using to afford Daly, but they'll also have to factor in any contact buy out.

If contract buy out isn't included, then maybe it should be. If nothing else, it would keep it under control


We'll also soon be getting to the point where there will be questions whether transfer fees should be added to the cap to increase it.
I.e. if we get £100k as a transfer fee for Daly, should we be allowed to spend up to the cap +£100k?


It's gonna start getting complicated and the powers that be don't seem to be able to control it as it stands right now

[NellyWellyWaspy]

I guess as the January window comes in a few days, we will then see signings coming in to Wasps, and the other prem clubs announcing which Wasps players they have secured at great cost.

Then a long drawn out time as news trickles in for Fekitoa maybe (will Wasps wait until Daly is confirmed to be going, as I can't see the point of Fekitoa otherwise?), maybe some Championship imports, some the Academy boys coming into the main squad, and then finally maybe one or two academy boys from other clubs coming to us?

It is going to be long, drawn out and slow, with as many slots as Dai has to fill.

[wasps]

Wouldn't Fekitoa be an inside centre?
Of all the positions Daly covers, it's rarely IC

[RBB]

He plays 12 and 13

[wasps]

But presumably if JdJ is with us next year, then we'd probably be looking at a Robson, Lima, Fekitoa, JdJ line up as our primary setup.

If Daly was to stay, presumably he'd be an option at 13 ahead of JdJ.


While Fekitoa may play both centre positions, I don't see why it would only make sense if Daly was leaving..... Salary cap is a different matter

[westwaleswasp]

There are a few players I would not mind leaving at all. From yesterday, had Jimmy been announced as moving into coaching with us I would have been equally happy. At 36 next year there has to be a limit in game time.

We need squad players, not everyone can be top class, but Gaby and Watson must be in severe danger of being shown the door. I can't see Joe staying if last season's stories about unhappiness are true.

The whole Daly thing is odd, if he is definitely off you would suspect that Dai would not have made him skipper and given him the 13 shirt over JdJ. Why do it otherwise? Dai's treatment of Cipriani was to continue as normal, his treatment of Varndell was to drop him ludicrously in favour of an aging Losi. To promote Daly to skipper and give him 13 smacks of politics, a big metaphorical selectoral hug. That implies we are in with a chance.

I think we need to replace Wade... easier said than done, but two decent finishers is or two fast men is not going to do it for us. Bassett is a very good player, fine finisher, plenty of gas, but lacks the footwork that scares, which is fine on one wing but not both. There is a temptation to think that spending money on wingers is a waste, but with Wasps our ability to score off turnovers, first phase etc. has been predicated these last few years upon dangerous strike runners with pace all over the pitch and a mobile back row all with great hands. And Haskell . Ok that is a bit unfair. Sorry, James. But being serious, if we want to maintain the Wasp ability to score without bashing the try line through nineteen phases we will need a bigger threat out wide.

The other area for me is second row, look at Sarries, and look at us. We seriously need to recruit there just to be half a mile behind them.

Obviously there will be academy promotions, but to fill the gap left by Wade, Wlr, and with Jimmy at 36 years by next year, it will take more than a Fekitoa, so I am hopeful we will recruit well. I would welcome some younger English talent that might stay longer than some previous signings. January and Feb will be telling.

[Rossm]

Some transfers are done in a way that leaves everyone understanding why and wishing all the best to the player leaving, some less so.  This to me falls into the latter category.  Much like when Billy left.


Sarries the common factor? Leading the way? I wouldn't put it past Nigel Wray to have an agenda.

[Raggs]

McIntyre will make a big difference. Don't know if he's significantly better in the scrum or carry but he has very nice hands to link the forwards and backs.

[Hymenoptera]

Thing is you can't always point to sarries as a comparison, they are the exception in terms of recruitment and coaching, they didn't get there overnight and how they got there is another debate.

Gaby and Watson have been massive failures to the point of being a liability, i see why they were both brought in but it just hasn't worked, so I wouldn't be fussed about them moving on.
I'm mixed on Big Mac...good when fit but just never fit, he's available less than an international. Mullen I'd like to see again but the pre broken version who's work rate we really miss.
TT great but again, we need people who can play regularly and he concerns me.

I agree on Basset, he's become a bit of a one trick pony and needs to evolve his game a bit more instead of constantly looking for contact that he never really gets the better deal on. A Cordero type player would be immense.
Can't say I buy into this Gopps age theory, if someone is a fit as he is then I don't think age comes into conversation and he is arguably the player we have missed this year if only from a leadership point of view. He's a voice and an orchestrator.
Daly is a non story until it happens and if it did, then life goes on and I have for a couple of seasons now not bought into the hype that surrounds him. He has moments but he has more non moments for someone thats tagged as being so world class. World class players inpact the game, Daly rarely does and needs to step up, like the Bath game, he actually contributed to the malaise.
I buy even less into any Joe moving on theory and its BS like this that has greatly reduced my participation on the sportsnetwork board. Give me a tangible fact and I'll debate as much as the next man but the level of hysteria of non facts on that board renders it a place of zero enjoyment, I just can't absorb it....it's as if people are getting off on bad mouthing the club and mostly around pub hearsay.
I'm happy with these signings.

[westwaleswasp]

Just to be clear, I meant Joe Simpson, not Launchbury.
Joe S was reported last year as being unhappy, Dai was quoted as saying he knows what he needs to do to get more starts, or some such.
The Launch story seems to have no basis.

[Brandnewtorugby]

I am really pleased that these players are staying. All for different reasons obviously, but Jimmy does seem to be really invested in the the club and the snippets about him building up coaching experience (and his online kicking coaching) suggest there is a chance he could continue with coaching at Wasps after playing. Billy Searle's place kicking does seem to be solid and there is a confidence about him when kicking, wonder if that is through working with Jimmy.

The recruitment of top performers from the championship seems to have worked really well. Another place we could look is American football. In amongst all of the discussion about Wade's chances in American football was the comment that there are many very fit athletes that have grown up in the American football system but fail to get contracts, perhaps some of those athletes could be persuaded to come and join as an academy player over here to see if they could convert to rugby.

[wasps]

I don't think we'll see many converts from American football to rugby.
The salaries on offer just don't make it a reasonable direction for the players to move.

If they were a superstar athlete guaranteed to be a premiership starter, then maybe the money would be ok. However if they were that level of athlete they'd probably make it into an NFL team and be earning many times more than a rugby player