Always a Wasp

Adding the fantastic news about the return of Carr into the mix I reckon it's starting to look like our squad next year will have quite a bit more depth than this years. I count 9 additions and 13 departures. Crucially though of those 13 I count 6 who didn't add any real options for us last year (Zhvania,Owlett, Sopoaga, Douglas, Sirker and Jaiani). And of the 9 joiners I see them all as being options for the 23. If you throw in international duties for Rowlands the picture is still better. We've probably got another lock incoming and possibly a centre? If we land two decent players in those positions we've a surplus on last year of 4 troubling the matchday 23. With academy promotions that could be higher. If we could possibly get Mills fit that would be like a new player as Watson pretty much will be. Hopefully this will allow us to manage the periods of unavailability for Launchbury, Willis, West and Odogwu. And once they are back, with some much needed injury luck we're looking good!

I think there are many positives to take into next season. But to be improving I wonder where others think the key improvement areas are. There are 4 for me:
1) Game management. We've lost some ridiculous games this year due to bad options - especially in the last 10 mins. We all want to see exciting innovative play but we need to perfect the ability to shut up shop once we've got the ascendancy.
2) Discipline. Just needs to be drummed into the squad pre-season.
3) Maul defence. We had this nailed at the end of last season but we've become easy to score against again from it. Maybe links in to a theory that we may lack a bit of power but for me it's about technique. We really miss Launchbury here.
4 ) Line out. I think we'll be ok at scrum time but we really must develop a stable line out. The attacking positions we've lost from this have cost us loads of points/games.
They are the main things for me. Of lesser importance I'd definitely keep Shields as captain, develop a different restart (signs of that v Tigers) and wrap Dan Robson in cotton wool. Maybe the biggest change we need is a bit more luck.

I found myself shouting at the screen for varying reasons, good and bad, for a whole 80 minutes today. But what frustrated me no end was our restarts. What are we trying to achieve. From what I can see our optimum (and most regular) outcome is conceding a knock on. We don't seem to be capable of variation and we're just continually making the same errors?

Half an hour in. Bears v Gloucester. More than slightly alarmed at how influenced by the crowd Maxwell-Keys is. Virtually refused to cancel a clear knock on try and so wanted to give it for the fans. Very dicey.

Just finished watching Exeter v Bristol. If you need a context check from last week this is it. Bristol literally never laid a glove on Exeter who were imperious. Bristol entered the Chiefs 22 but twice. Bristol tried to run everything but made a significantly worse job of it than we did. Chiefs once again look a cut above but in terms of the rest there really isn't much in it.

Mathieu Reynal drawing criticism for his lack of cards for Beard v De Klerk, Hill v Byrne and Kirsten v Byrne. What do people think? Beard v De Klerk for me was a red he just missed. The other two I thought he got right. Probably at least yellows in the Prem.

Does anybody know what the issue with Zhvania actually is. Found it odd yesterday that we asked Harris to go the full 80 with Owlett as nominal cover when we have an international LH in the squad.