To be positive, there were some really good aspects of the game. I don't have the stats, but in the first 20 minutes we camped in our own 22 and simply gave the ball back to them. That they didn't score so much in the first half was down to the repeated errors made by Wuss, NOT our defence. They lacked the belief. As the game went on, they gained that belief, and started to click. The last 20 minutes they cut out the errors, and walked all over us.
So, what went well? The scrum, although we did get pushed around a bit, that was missing personnel. Our lineouts were good, and we disrupted them. Our defence of the lineout maul was good, and lineout maul was better than it has been. Defence around the scrum, back of the lineout and around the ruck was good.
Now, quite a few players had of of those game turning mind farts. But that isn't how to measure a game, and I won't count those against them. Simmo made an impossible dart for the line from 5m, left himself open to turnover, and a few seconds later Wuss scored a try (converted). Watson assisted a break for the line started by Josh. All he had to do was pass it outside to a 2 man overlap in plenty of space. Instead he chose to cut to the posts and lost the ball. That was the moment when the game turned.
Simmo's box kicking, whilst not as good as Weir's (not many SH's are), was good. Wuss were very good at disrupting our possession, but Simmo coped well and got it out fast and accurately when he could. Josh had an excellent game. But the ball rarely got along the backs. It rarely got past Gaby, who more than once decided to run sideways across the pitch and eat up any space, or he would run into two defenders who would take the ball off him. Simmo to Lima to JdJ worked fine.
But, we frequently found ourselves with three scrum players covering midfield facing players like Heem. He simply ran through them. The midfield thrusts by their locks and back row were often met by Mr Nobody as one of our props watched them run through. Again, Wuss muffed a load of these chances. Miller often tackled hard, and with someone also hitting from behind only 5m from the line, the ball went forward.
We lost the ball over and over again in the tackle as the tackled player went down unsupported. Even if he was supported, Wuss turned up in numbers and pushed us off and knicked the ball. Dozens of times.
None of this is new. Week in, week out this year. We have won 2 of the last 18, 4 of the last 22. A team playing 'well' we are not. I have been to all the Home games and three of the away games so far, and this was the worst overall performance. Don't get me wrong, I do not mean to criticise. But, it is what it is.
I look forwards to the next game, versus Sale. I hope we can turn it around.
Topic: The Wuss game - was it all that bad? (Read 2675 times)
Always a Wasp