Sale Game Thread

[Eezamarlowman]

Poor discipline, huge amount of penalties conceded. Managed to score two tries which is a bonus, but still come away with Nil points. Gonna be a long season, again ! By my reckoning that makes 7 wins from 17 games over a 12 month period. I wonder how we could possibly change our fortune......(please refer to specific thread from last week)

[BG]

Even Steve Vaughan is I’m impressed with Dia


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Where does this come from?

I'm not sure I understand what this even means.. "Is I'm impressed".. are you saying he is impressed or is unimpressed.. and is that referring to Dai (Dia?) or Diamond (Steve)?

If he is impressed than I can only assume he was asked a direct question from a journalist looking for someone in the club to put a knife into Dai.. but obviously, Vaughan isn't going to say anything of the sort.. whether that is a genuine belief or not who knows.

[Heathen]

Something has to change, but what?

We need something or someone to gel it all together.

[Westy68]

Poor discipline, huge amount of penalties conceded. Managed to score two tries which is a bonus, but still come away with Nil points. Gonna be a long season, again ! By my reckoning that makes 7 wins from 17 games over a 12 month period. I wonder how we could possibly change our fortune......(please refer to specific thread from last week)

I think you will find it’s 7 wins and 17 loses in the last 12 months.

Unfortunately we have lost a lot of good players in the last 2 years and replaced them with average championship players.

A lot of players will have signed in the last 2 years are not premiership level. Maybe we can’t afford quality players and have to shop at the bargain centre, it has just been a quick drop and I can’t see a way out with our current set.

I really do feel that this is going to be Launchburys last season. He will definitely not want to play championship rugby and not want to keep playing in the challenge cup.

We are miles away from top 6, we need so many better players.

For me we need better 10, 12, 13, 11 or 14 big strong a fast ideally, a lock. I do like a lot of things about our new 8 but hell does he give away a lot of penalties.

That is a minimum of 6 players needed, not championship level for us. JTA is also not premiership level, Harris has played enough good games in the past for me.

Obviously the coaching set up is shocking, can anyone say it is not the worst in the league.

I’m truly gutted with wasps at the moment I use to love going to games home and away, even when we were struggling at Adams Park. For me we had a better team then and we still finished 11th

[Dgwasp]

Half decent start, followed by poor handling to give away an interception try, some promise in the second half to get back into the game stymied by constant penalties being given away.  It is the promise of perhaps coming back that really kills you.

Then to give away the final penalty and LBP like that was just dumb.  We're seemingly incapable of playing smart rugby and it is getting us turned over in what should be closer score lines. In a relegation battle bonus points matter so we can't afford to be throwing them away.

That said, Sale away is not usually a happy hunting ground, their backup to Faf looked pretty decent and onto next week.  We will see if we have the capability to turn our discipline around.

We've never really had a good kicking game under Dai and it has been more about ball in hand.  So I am worried about the extra kicking we've seen so far this season and especially last night.  Hammersly and Du Preez just kicked us backwards almost every time.

[Wasp250]

Even Steve Vaughan is I’m impressed with Dia


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Where does this come from?

I'm not sure I understand what this even means.. "Is I'm impressed".. are you saying he is impressed or is unimpressed.. and is that referring to Dai (Dia?) or Diamond (Steve)?

If he is impressed than I can only assume he was asked a direct question from a journalist looking for someone in the club to put a knife into Dai.. but obviously, Vaughan isn't going to say anything of the sort.. whether that is a genuine belief or not who knows.

Sorry typo I did correct it with the very next message.  Steve Is not impressed with Dia.

No Journalist involved in this information source.



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[Dgwasp]

Why be so cryptic..? If you can't just come out and say why, or how you know SV has a problem with Dai (or Dia) it is just muck spreading for both parties.

There may well be an issue, but equally, there may not.  Until I see something quoted I'll go with this being pure speculation for now.

[BG]

Something has to change, but what?

We need something or someone to gel it all together.

I've had 5 attempts at typing something positive about the start of the season but I'm struggling.

I think our pack is there or thereabouts. The lack of creativity and penetration in the backs is worrying.

Errors and penalties tend to come from pressure (lack of concentration/fitness) but 19 in one game is startling.

The lack of leadership or a real rugby brain on the field is a massive problem.

Apparently Sale's hooker has been having a torrid time recently with his lineout throwing and yet for most of the game we didn't contest the lineouts.

We executed a perfect driving maul early in the game and then didn't really use that tactic after that.

Unless something remarkable occurs, the players we currently have in the squad are the ones that are going to have to dig us out of the hole.

I'm a believer in apportioning on field performances (good or bad) on the shoulders of the players and not blame the coaches. Coaches can't catch, kick or tackle during the game... but.. I'm now beginning to think Wasps need a major coaching shake up.

Have some of the coaches been there too long, become too comfortable, too familiar in their surroundings, become stale in their approach to training and tactics and methods?

How long have Titterall and Blackett been there? Only a few weeks ago I said it would be better for the club to keep Dai but perhaps change dept coaches but now I'm even questioning that

[Dgwasp]

Sadly BG I understand where you are coming from.  We are not playing smart and in every game this season I think we've gifted a lot of points to the opposition or left points on the field.  This doesn't seem to be improving.

In terms of ability to score, this hit me last season where we had the ball in the oppositon 22 after 80 and just needed a score in 3-4 games and in each we got nothing.

We used to have an ability to get players from the championship and get them to kick on I to good premier players e.g. Reider and Thompson.  However now we are turning former ABs into players who we are questioning the quality of.  This is not the wasps I know and we seem to be forcing a plan on players who look like they don't understand what they, or each other should be doing.

[HDAWG]

BG, think Titterrell Should stay, but we need another forwards coach. Starting to think we need a new defence coach, backs coach and improved DOR/head coach approach that hopefully Vaughan can help implement. Whether that's with or without Dai I don't know.

As for other people's comments about players, maybe better delegation of salaries could help. Shields is a good player, but is he really worth the amount we pay him compared to Willis? Sopoaga definitely isn't worth the money we pay him. Same with Fekitoa. Dai needs to try and balance the salaries better in the squad to able to afford better players e.g. lock and a future 12.

I don't think the squad is that bad, but I do think experienced lock, creative twelve and a cheaper fly half should be top of the list.

[BG]

Sorry typo I did correct it with the very next message.  Steve Is not impressed with Dia.

No Journalist involved in this information source.



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[/quote]

Ah .. yes I noticed the correction.. although you're still typing Dia, or is that what you and Steve call Dai (Dia - dire... er.. diarrhea??)

Vaughan wouldn't have said anything to a journalist so unless he said it to you directly.. this rumour has come 2nd/3rd hand, in which case its nothing more than hearsay or someone trying to stir up trouble.

[Sting]

Usual Friday night shit

The players we have are capable of playing much better than we are seeing.
The issue must be coaching and game plan.
Slow ball in midfield, 2 phases then cross field kick (without even thinking is it on).
1st phase ball pass along the line to the wing..again without thinking.
Aimless long kicking giving away possession..no hanging balls or kick chase.
Narrow defensive line allowing opposition overlap of 2 or even 3 players on the outside.
Ball carriers being given too little support etc etc.
The errors are coming from the players not happy/comfortable with the plays. Players playing as they were told and not adapting to whats in front of them.
This is made worse by lack onfield leadership. Dan should be relived of this burden (he looks stressed, arm waving and hesitant and slow ball). Shields would get.my vote for captain or Willis.  Sale were there to be taken. dog will get stick for moment madness but he did not lose us the game.
Earlier the pack executed a great driving maul. Then with a few minutes to go and a lineout metres from the line and opposition missing 2 players we opt to go off the top, Flament gets turned over and the chance for 7 points gone.
Dai's verdict? We were the better tram "pretty much", lots of positives etc etc.
Time for Dai to face the harsh reality anf make changes to the coaching team and playing style.

[BG]

I have noticed something that Wasps have been doing and that's off-the-top lineout ball being thrown to no 2 at the front of the lineout.

Off the top means the ball is caught at the top of the jump then thrown/passed down to the 9 whilst the jumper is still in the air, creating quick ball for the 9.. the problem with doing that  is the 9 is receiving the ball at the very front of the lineout and has to pass the length of the lineout and then the additional gap to the 10.. by which time the defending forwards (backrow) who were standing at the back of the lineout almost arrive at the flyhalf at the same time the 10 catches the ball.

If the defending backrow are very alert that can sometimes intercept the ball as it travels from the 9 to the 10.

Normally a front lineout ball is caught and driven.. to be followed by perhaps a box kick, sneaky move around the blindside or a pick and go by the fowards to move in field.

I don't know whether Wasps do it as a planned move or not, but it seems like an odd tactic

[Chunky24]

Defence is being mentioned a lot here but although we shipped a lot of penalties last night we conceded one try away from home which came from an interception. That certainly doesn't mean the defence is perfect at all and there is a lot of scramble defence but I just felt like trying to find something positive to say!

[BG]

I just felt like trying to find something positive to say!

The away strip looks quite good