Swop Shop

[Shugs]

Not really. I may take Hogg over Minozzi. Itoje v Rowlands would be a close thing.

[mike909]

Not really. I may take Hogg over Minozzi. Itoje v Rowlands would be a close thing.

I'm in the same area, and for anyone to come to Wasps, they'd have to be our sort of player, someone looking to part of the whole, not for the contract.....

I'd keep the same squad for now.

[matelot22]

someone looking to part of the whole, not for the contract.....

I can't help but read that and Daly immediately springs to my mind....

[mike909]

someone looking to part of the whole, not for the contract.....

I can't help but read that and Daly immediately springs to my mind....

Yeah - though Hughes rather more

"looking to be part of the whole".....of course!

[matelot22]

I just got the sense that Daly gave up on us though before the ink had even dried on his new contract. I can't remember that so much with Nathan. Was he injured before he left or was it not known until after the end of the season?

[mike909]

I admit that I didn't really keep up to date that season due to various things that got in the way - I just felt that Hughes had got all of the upsides of our support and left.....I felt Daly might well had been off the pace, but he wasn't exactly alone!

[RogerE]

I admit that I didn't really keep up to date that season due to various things that got in the way - I just felt that Hughes had got all of the upsides of our support and left.....I felt Daly might well had been off the pace, but he wasn't exactly alone!

felt
From the horses mouth (ok a drunken evening* in Toulouse with one of the Wasps officials) The Club were sorry that Daly wanted to go, but felt no animosity about it, as he had been with the Club since a schoolboy, and "needed" a change. Nathan, however, was a different case, and they were unhappy about the way the Club had been treated by him and, particularly, his agent.  The Club felt they had invested a lot in him (bringing him over, all the legalities, supporting him during injuries, losing him to England etc) that hadn't been repaid in performances.

(* I'm teetotal but everyone else wasn't!, which is why tongues were a bit loose)

[mike909]

Thanks for that Roger - that was the explanation I had in mind......

[westwaleswasp]

Mallins for me. Just too good, with too much potential to not find a place for.
Reckon he could play in multiple positions, 10, 15, and 12 long term as a Jimmy replacement.

Certainly would not fancy that Daly chap.....)

[wasps]

There's definitely a few in the England setup that I'd see as direct upgrades, purely from a playing perspective.

I'd be very interested in a Genge, George, Sinkler front row.
I'm not entirely convinced that our current props are better scrummagers than these 2, and almost certainly not around the park.
We have excellent young hookers, but I think George is better than our senior 2's

In the rest of the forwards, Itoje is a top player regardless of what you may think of his club affiliations.
I'd also want a dynamic and powerful 8 to accompany Willis and Young, but I don't really know who that would be (hopefully Tom Willis soon)

In the backs, I think I'd be focusing on wingers. I'd gladly have May and a fit Anthony Watson
I'm going to hope that Mills is our Gopperth successor

[Rossm]

There's definitely a few in the England setup that I'd see as direct upgrades, purely from a playing perspective.

I'd be very interested in a Genge, George, Sinkler front row.
I'm not entirely convinced that our current props are better scrummagers than these 2, and almost certainly not around the park.
We have excellent young hookers, but I think George is better than our senior 2's

In the rest of the forwards, Itoje is a top player regardless of what you may think of his club affiliations.
I'd also want a dynamic and powerful 8 to accompany Willis and Young, but I don't really know who that would be (hopefully Tom Willis soon)

In the backs, I think I'd be focusing on wingers. I'd gladly have May and a fit Anthony Watson
I'm going to hope that Mills is our Gopperth successor

-1

[westwaleswasp]

May is outstanding to be sure. I would ask are positions to be taken into account. Itoje is a superb second row, but not back row where Eddie often plays him, for example.

[Shugs]

Hmmm. I wouldn't take George over Taylor or Oghre. In his prime when he made breaks in the loose but not now. I think he's been shown up since being a regular "starter" and not come on around tired bodies. Genge, for me, is a bit of a myth. Yes, he's abrasive and he clatters into people but doesn't make a lot of yards. At scrum time he's good but not outstanding for me.

[DGP Wasp]

Hmmm. I wouldn't take George over Taylor or Oghre. In his prime when he made breaks in the loose but not now. I think he's been shown up since being a regular "starter" and not come on around tired bodies.

Same could be said for a number of Eddie's regular starters; Farrell, Youngs, Daly, Vunipola x2.  Not so much that they have less impact starting over coming on late amongst tired bodies, but just the lack of any notion of Eddie dropping them in favour of someone in better form, so they are under less pressure to perform.

Personally I am more than happy with our lot.  Itoje would provide useful 2nd row cover, but as he'd be away at the same time as Launchbury and Rowlands then that doesn't fix the issue.  In many cases I wouldn't even have current England incumbents as 2nd/3rd choice in our squad, never mind starting 15.

[Tervueren]

We don't need anyone else. Just poach Rudy Giuliani from NY and we can get any defeats over-turned in the courts. We could start with our previous game against Exeter.