What I think I learnt today....

[wasps]

Wasps play well when there's plenty of options available in the backs. We typically run 2 lines and Cips takes his pick of the best choice available at any given time.
However, there's more to it than that.

On a number of occasions today, Cipriani either wasn't available, or not in a great position to take the ball, however we didn't have much of a second option so it either went to him anyway, or went straight to midfield where we tried to push through the defence.

I now see one of the things that Jimmy brings to us.
We seem to play so much better with him, but I think it's having the second playmaker at 12 that we need.
That way we can still attack with the same pace even when the 10 is not available.

We see the same when Jimmy is at 10
We still play well, but it seems harder to really break through the defence.


I like Gaby, I think he's a great addition to the squad, but I'm now thinking that we need 2nd 5/8 type of inside centre

[Harry the wasp]

Quinn's came to do a job and they did it well. I'm not sure it was strictly in the spirit of the game but it worked and it worked well. If Marlon Yarde would like to repeat the gesture he made to those of us in the corner of the Ricoh when he scored I would welcome  discussing it with him. There was a small child in front of me who was too young to understand it but never the less he needs to take a long hard look at himself. Pathetic.

[Oneyedwasp]

Have to agree, just to add,I thought we looked uncertain in the backs, with the second play maker it gives us a measure of control that at times we lacked today.

[NellyWellyWaspy]

OR ... (because neither Cips nor Jimmy will be there forever or all the time), Gaby needs to step up and be more than a fast, hard tackler, more than the guy who bursts through on the outside line. Where were all those cut back runs that we normally see? I think we said the same last year, but we need far better coaching of the backs. Yesterday, as far as I could see, the forwards did their job. The backs did not.

We all suspect that, despite having signed a 2 year contract extension, Jimmy looks to be planning a move to coaching. I would hope that he is already doing that when he is injured. OK to coach, not well enough to play/train.

I also suspect that Daly had to be rusty in play making. He hasn't played in earnest with the squad for over four months. In contrast, I thought Cips had a good game. One problem was that he had been moved from his normal slot when in defence a few times. He was quite effective at stopping most players, and took a lot down. He disrupted their attack a lot. But, when the breakdown happened, he wasn't where he needed to be as a result. Cake and eating it comes to mind.

[Raggs]

I need to watch again, but once again, I see Simpson taking time to tell players to get around the corner (heard him over the mic too).  Perhaps he's right, and they aren't in the right place, but at some point you have to actually play the game as it is, not as you want it to be, because making the "right" decision very very slowly, is far worse than making a less optimal play quickly, as the defence has enough time to reset and be fully ready.

I'll rewatch and see.  I know Simpson was fast at times, and that was great to see too.

[wasps]

Raggs, if you do watch it again (not sure I can bring myself to do so), it'll be interesting to see if the ball was already slow on those occasions, and if Simmo was planning to box kick.

I regularly defend him on the DW site for things like that, but I cringed a couple of times yesterday knowing what kind of threads would be written about him

[Rifleman Harris]

It's odd how Simmo has changed.  He used to be quick and tested defences.  Is he being told to play in that way?  I would doubt it as Robson works very differently and I can't imagine the game plan changing that much just because he is out.  Could it be a confidence thing, or trying to be different to Robson?  It doesn't make a lot of sense. His box kicking has always been a bit hit and miss mind.  Just curious really.

[Raggs]

He seems to be following the Lee Dickson path, from quick to just shipping the ball out, to wanting to play a larger role in organising the game, but with a 10 like Cips, and other decent first receivers, he doesn't need to.

A rewatch will help determine if it was slow ball already, but even then I suspect the difference between a 3 second ruck (which isn't fast) and a 7+ second ruck, would be enormous in terms of opposition forwards getting themselves better setup and not so exposed.