Sale vs Wasps - Sunday 3pm

[Puja]

Sale Sharks: Sam James, Luke James, Janse van Rensburg, Hill, Yarde, MacGinty, de Klerk (capt); Morozov, van der Merwe, Oosthuizen, Postlethwaite, JP du Preez, Wiese, Curry, du Preez

Replacements: Langdon, Harrison, John, Phillips, Dugdale, Cliff, du Preez, Roebuck

Wasps: Sopoaga, Kibirige, Odogwu, Le Bourgeois, Bassett; Atkinson, Porter; West, Cruse, Brookes, Rowlands, Gaskell, Morris, Young, (capt) Barbeary

Replacements: Taylor, McIntyre, Toomaga-Allen, Douglas, T.Willis, Robson, Gopperth, de Jongh

[Digby]

Looks a bit of a test for Wasps. Sale with plenty of carrying options to work back on the inside where Wasps have been struggling, don't have Launch to make dominant tackles and now have a lack of pace at 12 and the youngster at 8 who might be a likely candidate to get his alignments wrong. I know Sopoaga gets some stick, but he must be looking at what's in front of him and constantly trying to position feeling some sense of panic.

I think Wasps would probably be well served to give up a little width in defence and and trust Kibirige and Bassett to scramble if Sale can get the ball wide through the hands. Better than allowing the soft underbelly to be exposed up the middle.

Having said all that it might now be worth tipping Wasps to win by 12+

[Peej]

It's a big Sale midfield isn't it? Booj's lack of pace won't be such an issue.

Barbeary could well be shackled by Sale's big back 5, but he gets through a lot of work. Wasps need a result here, otherwise they'll be slipping further behind in the league.

[Digby]

That lack of pace at 12 allied to Wasps having issues getting across to join the midfield defence does look an area to exploit, even if it's not Booj's tackle to make the lack of pace makes any scramble worse and means you're looking at maybe 3 phases to get a defence back in control rather than 2.

And Wasps do look unorganised against ball working back to the inside far more than the ball getting around the corner. A sentence there which makes little sense outside rugby.

[Mellsblue]

That lack of pace at 12 allied to Wasps having issues getting across to join the midfield defence does look an area to exploit, even if it's not Booj's tackle to make the lack of pace makes any scramble worse and means you're looking at maybe 3 phases to get a defence back in control rather than 2.

And Wasps do look unorganised against ball working back to the inside far more than the ball getting around the corner. A sentence there which makes little sense outside rugby.

Booj is picked due to his intangibles......

[Digby]

There are many positives to Booj even if well hidden, and maybe he can help organise what's going on inside him, they're not exactly all over the place as is but there's some mix of not working hard enough I would think and certainly the spacings aren't right. And just a bit of extra communication to get one person to move a little earlier might trigger all the rest to fall in line as it were.

And they need to get it sorted because why would you bother attacking somewhere else if there are options to walk it up the middle that Wasps present even when not stressed?

[Mellsblue]

That horrible moment when you agree with Healey.

[FKAS]

Tom Curry has been immense in defence. Levelled a few Wasps ball carriers Barbeary on more than one occasion and Rowlands got cut in half. Just showing the difference between international and league physicality.

Pretty low quality fare from both sides. I suspect Wasps will look to the bench fairly early in the second half and give themselves a new midfield and hooker. Sale have no such luxury on their bench.

[Raggs]

Curry has been amazing. Still think Barbeary has gone well (except that last attempted offload), and now he's starting to give the pull back pass, it should help.

Little bit miffed by a few decisions, like Gaskell getting hit off the ball, in a far more "positive" manner, than Booj being run into. And Odogwu's red card from a couple of seasons back now grates all the more.

[Raggs]

Looks about right, Barbeary's fucked.

[twitchy]

Typical.

[Mellsblue]

Yep. That doesn’t look good. Latest England rugby messiah in serious injury shock.

[Mellsblue]

Serious intangibles from Booj there. Bassett must be carrying an injury!

[Scrumhead]

Very strange, but serious looking injury for Kibirige.

The only angles shown on the TV were innocuous, but they’re not showing the side-on replay.

I’m worried he may have broken his neck.

[Raggs]

How the hell can you give that against Wasps when the sale tighthead had no binding, and was on the arm....

[fivepointer]

Good win for Wasps but those injuries are very concerning.

[Mellsblue]

From The Times:
Lee Blackett, the Wasps director of rugby, confirmed that Kirbirige, who was carried off on a stretcher, was talking in the dressing room after the win and said: “I expect in the next couple of hours that he will be up walking and he is in great hands. I do think he will be Ok and he was knocked out cold and it is never nice to see. Early indications are that he is all right.”
Sounds like good news.

[Epaminondas Pules]

He’s up and about. Pictures posted by Wasps players. Great news as it looked awful.

[FKAS]

Very strange, but serious looking injury for Kibirige.

The only angles shown on the TV were innocuous, but they’re not showing the side-on replay.

I’m worried he may have broken his neck.

Yeah they didn't show the head on shot from behind the goal line because they didn't want to cause distress. That doesn't sound good. Hopefully it's not as serious as feared and he's back playing soon. Never nice seeing a player leave on a spinal board.

[FKAS]

As mentioned above. Good to see.

Looks like someone had a good Christmas though...

[I R Geech]

How the hell can you give that against Wasps when the sale tighthead had no binding, and was on the arm....

Because Maxwell Keys has had it in for Wasps ever since he got it so wrong in his first ever match and got an official ticking off.

[Raggs]

How the hell can you give that against Wasps when the sale tighthead had no binding, and was on the arm....

Because Maxwell Keys has had it in for Wasps ever since he got it so wrong in his first ever match and got an official ticking off.

I know we often get the short end of the straw with him but when there something likethat i still want to moan.

[Epaminondas Pules]

6/8 weeks for Barbeary

[Puja]

6/8 weeks for Barbeary

TBH, I was fearing far, far worse when he went down. Relatively speaking, that's a good result.

Puja

[Raggs]

6/8 weeks for Barbeary

TBH, I was fearing far, far worse when he went down. Relatively speaking, that's a good result.

Puja

That's if he doesn't need surgery, it's not 100% yet.