Wasps team to play Northampton Saints on Saturday
By Klinks
September 23 2016
Director of Rugby Dai Young has named his Wasps side to travel to Franklin’s Gardens on Saturday, to take on Northampton Saints.
After a six-year sabbatical, Danny Cipriani is set to make his 100th appearance for Wasps.
James Gaskell again skippers the side and there are returns to the starting line-up for Matt Mullan, Sam Jones, Nathan Hughes and Josh Bassett.
Frank Halai misses out through a hamstring niggle, but there are returns from injury for Dan Robson and Marty Moore, who are primed to make an impact from the bench. Also among the match day 23, ready to make his Aviva Premiership debut, is Nick De Luca who featured prominently for Wasps during the Singha 7s and pre-season.
Ahead of the trip to Midlands neighbours Northampton, Young knows Wasps will need to up their game again at Franklin’s Gardens, against a Saints side who have also made a strong start to the season.
“It’s been a good start to the Aviva Premiership for us,” he said, “but it’s important for us to keep our feet on the ground as well. We haven’t had an 80-minute performance yet this season that we’ve been totally satisfied with. We’re pleased with a lot of facets of our game, but there are still areas we need to improve.
“We’re going into a different challenge again this weekend and we know we need to step up our level of performance again, to put ourselves in a position to get a result against a quality Saints side at Franklin’s Gardens.
“Northampton have certainly recruited well and they will be as physical as ever. They always have a very good scrum and their driving lineout is right up there again. They will always look to take you on at the set-piece and with the physical ball carriers they have, the battle of the gain line with or without the ball, will be huge. We will need to meet that physicality head on.”
Wasps team to play Northampton Saints
15. Rob Miller
14. Christian Wade
13. Elliot Daly
12. Jimmy Gopperth
11. Josh Bassett
10. Danny Cipriani
9. Joe Simpson
1. Matt Mullan
2. Tommy Taylor
3. Jake Cooper-Woolley
4. Matt Symons
5. James Gaskell ©
6. Sam Jones
7. Guy Thompson
8. Nathan Hughes
Replacements
16. Ashley Johnson
17. Simon McIntyre
18. Marty Moore
19. Kearnan Myall
20. Thomas Young
21. Dan Robson
22. Kyle Eastmond
23. Nick De Luca
Unavailable for selection through injury:
Forwards – James Haskell, Joe Launchbury,
Backs –Kurtley Beale, Alapati Leiua, Brendan Macken, Frank Halai
Willie Le Roux – to arrive February from Cannon Eagles, Japan.
If you do not already have an account Click here to Register.
Would have kept Mac in the side too. Think we might miss Frank's close carrying work.
Looking forward to seeing your side play, I fear it may be a long afternoon for the Saints. Our only chance is to bring the physicality of last weekend to this game, but even that guarantees us nothing.
My eldest plays for Sandbach so delighted to see James with your captain's armband.
Safe travels to those making the trip, especially those making their first trip FG.
He looked really good last week and has that extra experience and bulk over Bassett in facing a very powerful Saints side.
Let's hope Josh has a good game.
To be fair, Josh had a great game last time out at the Gardens!
Quote:Raggs
Miller, Daly and Simpson (and Robson), can all play on the wing. Gops, Cips and Daly can cover fullback, 23 shirt had to go to someone who could cover 13.
That all requires a substantial reshuffle if a winger goes down - and means we have to lose one of Cips or Gopps to 15. De Luca plays 12 or 13, so could have worn the 22 shirt and someone like Howe could have taken the 23. Or even potentially Armitage, Eastgate or O'Connor
Missing frank and joe is disappointing, especially Frank who offers a lot more to the team than Josh. Who is a fine player but not there yet for me.
Joe and dan is a tough call, like both players a lot.
Saints can't play any other way then physical, so if we can match them in that area, I'm confident of a hard fought win.
Shame Dickson isn't playing, would love Nathan to smash him up. Loved that billy threw him around like a rag doll last week. Then hearing over the ref's mic "that sums you up". Obviously disliked by players as well as supporters.
I get the positional thjng and if Leiua was fit or losi sti with us that would be a sensible choice. But picking a guy who has never played a first team game for wasps (or with Howe a guy who has probably played less than 10 prem games in his career) over a guy with 60 Scotland caps? No brainier for me. If a wing gets injured, eastmond slots straight in. Played wing plenty for bath. No reshuffle needed. If Miller gets injured them gopps to 15 and eastmond to his natural 12 position. Saints back line doesn't exactly scream lightning pace that de Luca couldn't deal with.
I imagine young young is just being eased back in? Big chance for Nathan To establish himself again.
Groom has looked far the better 9 than Dickson and saints fans seem to be in favour of him starting so not sure I'd see him as a weak link. Weak link is probably their bench where their halfbacks looks pretty callow.
Quote:backdoc
He has played 60 times for Western Stormers in the super 15. I doubt if he will have any trouble.
...not doubting his pedigree but my thinking is the best way to disrupt, maybe even turnover is to get at an 8-9-10 combo that hasn't been together long...quality is there but I reckon its worth testing whether or not the mechanics are
just a thought
That's the problem with 12s. If they're not that versatile, unless they start they shouldn't really be in the 23.
If they're not versatile, then they rarely get a bench spot.
Wasps are currently using an unusual strategy.
Generally, most teams start with one 10, and have the other on the bench, which leaves only 1 bench spot that needs to be taken by a utility player.
With the 2 starting 10's (for better or for worse), we have 2 spots on the bench. If one is a versatile type player (i.e. de Luca), then the other can be a specialist (i.e. Eastmond), especially if that specialist can cover wing.
It may require some juggling of positions mid-game, however, that's not particularly uncommon, and is the kind of thing that I really think that Wasps can deal with.
Quote:Nomad_Wasp
That's the problem with 12s. If they're not that versatile, unless they start they shouldn't really be in the 23.
But if we started 10 Cips, 12 Eastmond and 22 Gopps that would be completely conventional and amounts to the same thing in terms of options in the event of injury.
No issue for me. De Luca covers wing and full back. Between them they offer plenty of cover across the outside backs.