Hanks: Too many errors
Wasps rugby director Tony Hanks says he is not happy with the way that his side have started the Premiership season.
Wasps could only manage a 29-29 draw against Harlequins in their first game of the season. Hanks says there were too many basic errors and the side will have to work much harder in the next few games.
Hanks said before the season started that he thought it could be a very good year for Wasps if they could do all of the basic things well. However, a failure to take chances and some poor handling of the rugby ball allowed Harlequins to match the London side throughout the season opener.
There are many areas that Wasps can work hard on in training. If the club wants to take a step forward this season and push for the top of the table then it's important a win is secured as quickly as possible.
Areas to work on
Wasps allowed too many gaps to appear in their defence during the game with Harlequins. Quicker players in an opposition side always stay on the fringes of a team; they will dart towards a gap if one develops and hope that someone can get the ball to them in time.
Wasps must work on their basic handling and passing of the ball. They were not alone because a number of Premiership sides conceded points due to poorly played passes. This has to be eradicated from any performance quickly because it can be the difference between a win and a loss.
The side did not play to the strengths that the club has. For example, Andy Powell often found himself exposed to two or three faster players. This meant the big Welshman had no chance of being able to defend without any help.
Hanks said: "We were good for a while, but then got bogged down during the second half and did not show composure under pressure and did not respect the ball enough. By our standards, that performance was not good enough. Yes, we start the season with two points and showed character to come back when they seemed to have nicked it late on."
Points on the board
The club has to try and work harder to get their first win on the board. It's very dangerous for a club to start badly when they have made a lot of pre-season comments. This can create negative publicity around the club and additional pressure.
This is not needed by Wasps because the club will want all focus to be on the Premiership and playing well. It could be a very long and unproductive season if the club has to deal with additional pressure away from the field that can easily be done without.
Andy Powell added: "I know I should be really thrilled, but while scoring was a great start to my Wasps career, I'm disappointed we did not win as we had control of the game for crucial periods. It's an amazing experience, the double header, and you usually only play in front of 75,000 crowds at Test level."
Betting advice
Hold off from backing Wasps to make the top four by the end of the season. They will struggle to achieve this if they continue to make basic errors and cannot cash in on spells of pressure they manage to create against big teams.
Powell scoring during the game was a rarity. He will not be a contender for top scorer in the league by next Spring and he's equally unlikely to be lead scorer at the club by the time all competitions have finished.
Tags: