Press Conference Notes.
Wasps Interim Head Coach Lee Blackett spoke to the media ahead of Friday night's Gallagher Premiership clash with Saracens at Ricoh Arena (kick-off 7.45pm).
Here’s what he had to say:
On Dai Young
For me personally he obviously brought me to the Club. I’ll never forget that. He has his loyalty to his staff and through difficult times he was good to speak to.
Anyone who spends nine years at a Club should go down as a legend and he should go down as a Wasps Legend. He’s been through some tough times but also taken us to some big occasions.
He’s done fantastic for the Club but now we have to move on and make sure we get something out of this season.
On Leicester Tigers performance
I feel like we’d been moving in the right direction – obviously in the three games before that we’d scored three try-bonus points but a couple of bounces of the ball and a couple of things that didn’t go our way last weekend and we would’ve won.
It was far from a complete performance. The first-half I thought we were really good inside our own half. We exited well but when we got down there, our end product wasn’t good enough. We kicked the ball away too much. We kicked them down there, we turned it over and we kicked it away again and that’s not really us and not how we want to play.
We probably tried to manage the game a bit too much, especially in the first-half. In the second-half, where we led 9-3, their maul got on top for the next 20 minutes and that hurt us with the try.
Then you look at a couple of big moments – we drop the ball over the line and then a couple of minutes later, we get a lineout in their 22, we put a play out and make a poor decision and (Telusa) Veainu picks it up and goes the length.
On Tom Youngs incident with Will Rowlands
The TMO didn’t see it but we can’t moan. We still had ways of winning that game and unfortunately we couldn’t do it.
On playing Saracens in first Friday night Premiership game at Ricoh Arena
It’s different. That’s the big thing – Friday Night Lights – we’re massively excited for it at The Ricoh and hopefully we can put in a performance.
They were really good last weekend against Sale (Sharks), they managed the game really well so it’ll be a big challenge but hopefully one we will rise to.
Injury/team news
Simon McIntyre (groin) is a doubt for this week. It’ll be a late call.
Malakai Fekitoa (knee) has started training so he’ll be back in contention.
Ashley Johnson (ankle) should be back towards the back end of the week.
Tom Cruse (calf) we’ll have to assess later in the week.
Topic: Press Notes from Lee Blackett (Read 4376 times)
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