What does the last home game at LR have in store?

Demob happy Corp?
By Loose Head
May 3 2002

Saturday 4th May. KO 3pm Wasps can for the first time in ages claim to be on a roll, having had four straight wins. Leicester, Gloucester, Sarries and Quins. One does have to look a little closer at this recent history though.

The Leicester and Gloucester victories were top drawer performances. However the last two have not even been bottom drawer - more pile of washing by the side of the chest of drawers. How easily the Sarries and the Quins games could have gone the other way. But facts are facts, Wasps won and are in that fortunate situation of having won a couple of games having under-performed.

We now face up to the Sinners, whose chairman was under the impression that Wasps were an iffy bunch one sunny afternoon in Twickenham. How wrong he was.

Northampton's record over the recent months has been quite impressive, if you glaze over the rather public stuffing at the hands of London Irish in the cup final at HQ. They have racked up good winning scores: in the league, their last four games were Leeds at home 34-14, Bath away 11-29, Gloucester home 58-21and Sorries at home 52-27.

True, three out of four are squelching in the relegation mire and the other, Gloucester, well Wasps trounced them as well.

Our meeting up at Frankenstein Gardens was not something that we would want to remember, and would not be a guide to current performance. As for not remembering, Dawson probably hopes that Joe Beardshaw doesn't remember getting kicked in the head at a ruck.

Wasps team has been published. Click here for the official site notice. All four of the recently announced renewed signings are playing - Worsley, Roiser, Lewsey and Sampson. With rumours abounding on the message board about who is going where the news of the contract agreements was received with some relief. The team sheet has the interesting selection of Josh Lewsey at outside centre with either Abbot or Denney at inside centre and Paul Sampson at full-back. With Fraser Waters still out with an ankle injury picked up in one of those "crucial" 7s tournaments the centre penetration has been looking a bit questionable. Josh Lewsey is there to use his raw pace and his ability to commit two or three men and still recylcle the ball.

Curently the Saints team has not been announced.

Corporal Jones plays his last Wasps league game at Loftus Road, it's feasible that there might be a premiership play-off game at LR, depending on where we finish and how the games go. His last league game for us is of course against Bath. It seems only yesterday that the Corp joined us, providing a bit of oomph in the pack when we were down on bodies. We wish him well as he moves into coaching and hope he goes out in style.

In addition to the main event, the U19s play at Twyford Ave, KO 12 noon, and the U21s are a curtain raiser at Loftus Road, kick off 12:30. For the team list notice click here