Big Game 11: Harlequins vs. Wasps

[fivepointer]

Sopoaga was just hopeless. Daly seems to have lost the plot. Wasps discipline and passing at times was appalling. Stuart is a bright spot, but you would expect some of his higher profile and higher paid team mates to produce a whole lot more.
Quins won by virtue of making slightly less mistakes and showing a couple of bits of enterprise in the opposition 22.
Really this was pretty poor stuff all round.

[Mellsblue]

Daly looks like he’s had enough of it all. He’s normally a clear headed, cool player but he was very petulant in the last 10 mins or so.

[twitchy]

It was a feisty game. Did any one see what caused ward to stand on young?

[Stom]

Would be a real shame if he were to be banned. Even worse if he was banned for the rest of the season. Just terrible...

Seriously, though, I don't get how he keeps his spot.

[Scrumhead]

Sopoaga was just hopeless. Daly seems to have lost the plot. Wasps discipline and passing at times was appalling. Stuart is a bright spot, but you would expect some of his higher profile and higher paid team mates to produce a whole lot more.
Quins won by virtue of making slightly less mistakes and showing a couple of bits of enterprise in the opposition 22.
Really this was pretty poor stuff all round.

Yep. This is a fair assessment. Quins were slightly better in key moments but not much between two poor sides.

Without making any excuses for Ward’s foul play, it was more of an attempt to wind Young up rather than actually injure him. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him cop a ban, but it was hardly red card material.

[Scrumhead]

Just read he also spat on Young. Did anyone see that? If so, I take back my comments above.

[oldbackrow]

Daley looks totally fed up and lacking in confidence. His pass to Sopoaga was very poor and he just looks out of sorts.

[Mikey Brown]

From what I saw of the Ward incident he could have been spitting anywhere. I really hope it wasn't aimed at Young, and I think Dallaglio was typically unhelpful in assuming it was and going on and on about it. But standing on Young's ankle, and an earlier neck-roll (that was honestly more of a choke/headlock) both could have seen a red anyway. He was very lucky to stay on the pitch. I've no idea what started it, Young certainly doesn't seem the sort to start shit for no reason and I absolutely don't blame him for flinging Ward to the floor.

I've been wanting an upgrade on Ward for a while, but if he spat on someone I'd happily never see him in a Quins shirt again. Saying that, I don't think it's remotely clear that he did.

[Digby]

Sopoaga was just hopeless. Daly seems to have lost the plot. Wasps discipline and passing at times was appalling. Stuart is a bright spot, but you would expect some of his higher profile and higher paid team mates to produce a whole lot more.
Quins won by virtue of making slightly less mistakes and showing a couple of bits of enterprise in the opposition 22.
Really this was pretty poor stuff all round.

We can certainly say Sopoaga isn't making the team tick, but he hasn't settled and he was given a slow player outside, two 9s who made handling errors for fun and a pack getting turned over and losing some key first phase possession. I tend to think even if they sorted the other problems the team isn't on the same length as Sopoaga, but he's a quality player

[Raggs]

Think it'll take a season for sops to settle. Wlr was very off in his first season, but his second was awesome, doubt it's that different for 10s.

[fivepointer]

You pay big money for a player then its not unreasonable to expect a certain level of performance. Irrespective of whats going on around him, Sopoaga has been very poor, comfortably below the standard you would expect of a premiership 10.

[Stom]

You pay big money for a player then its not unreasonable to expect a certain level of performance. Irrespective of whats going on around him, Sopoaga has been very poor, comfortably below the standard you would expect of a premiership 10.

I don't think he's been below what you'd expect from a Prem 10 at all. I think he's below what you'd expect from an international 10, but I do feel he's judged a little harshly. Wasps have a lot bigger problems than him, starting with their pack.

[Digby]

Not heard anything official so do we presume Ward is getting away with the one match ban handed down from his club?

He's a lucky boy if so

[morepork]

You pay big money for a player then its not unreasonable to expect a certain level of performance. Irrespective of whats going on around him, Sopoaga has been very poor, comfortably below the standard you would expect of a premiership 10.

Don't worry. He'll be kicking and fielding box kicks every second phase like a metronome and then he will fit right in.

[Mikey Brown]

I suppose this goes in here?



Hadn't registered with me that Ward's headbutt last year was also on Young. As ever, I see where Goode is coming from but I think he's a dickhead too, which probably doesn't help.

[Stom]

Can we sack him? That'd be good Newcastle can sign him, then. Depends how Buchanan is coming along. But I'd much rather Crumpton and Elia than Ward.

[Mikey Brown]

We seem stuck in a cycle of dropping him on the rare occasion we have anyone fit at 2, then all our backrows break down and he makes an appearance at 7 from the bench and wins a bunch of turnovers. Then we pick him at 2 again.

[Peej]

Wow I find these guys colossal bores.

But Goode does have a point. Interesting that Ross Batty got a red card last weekend for something quite similar to what Ward did.

[Digby]

You pay big money for a player then its not unreasonable to expect a certain level of performance. Irrespective of whats going on around him, Sopoaga has been very poor, comfortably below the standard you would expect of a premiership 10.

Don't worry. He'll be kicking and fielding box kicks every second phase like a metronome and then he will fit right in.

Box kicks might be one of the bigger problems Sopoaga is facing. Wasps just don't have a reliable kicker at 9, so they don't slow ball coming back at them and they certainly don't contest to the point of reclaiming ball much.

If Wasps could make that change, contesting their own box kicks more and reclaiming ball they'd be giving Sopoaga maybe 2-3 more chances in a game to use his own arsenal of attacking kicks or running game in the middle of the park (so space in behind the line) against a defence that would naturally be slow off the line or perhaps even still find themselves scrambling

The difference in tries created over months and views on how a player is doing would shift enormously, maybe as Wasps don't have a good kicking game from 9 they'll have to hope Willis can present essentially similar opportunities by increasing their turnovers