Falcons vs Wasps - or the return of the messiah

[Epaminondas Pules]

Wasps team to face Newcastle Falcons at Kingston Park on Friday in Gallagher Premiership Round 14 (kick-off 7:45pm)

Wasps (First-team appearances)

15 Rob Miller (118)

14 Zach Kibirige (39)

13 Malakai Fekitoa (29)

12 Michael Le Bourgeois (50)

11 Josh Bassett (140)

10 Jimmy Gopperth (121)

9 Sam Wolstenholme (17)

1 Ben Harris (74)

2 Tommy Taylor (83)

3 Kieran Brookes (52)

4 Joe Launchbury (155) (c)

5 Will Rowlands (103)

6 Brad Shields (43)

7 Thomas Young (131)

8 Sione Vailanu (25)



Replacements

16 Gabriel Oghre (36)

17 Tom West (47)

18 Jeff Toomaga-Allen (36)

19 Theo Vukasinovic (9)

20 Alfie Barbeary (12)

21 Ben Vellacott (16)

22 Charlie Atkinson (10)

23 Matteo Minozzi (28)

[Mellsblue]

Booj? He’s only been benched for a couple of matches, iirc.

[Banquo]

Booj? He’s only been benched for a couple of matches, iirc.

I quite like La Booj. Honest 12.

[Digby]

Why are slow players honest? There's something deceptive that's seen around pace

[fivepointer]

Newcastle Falcons team to face Wasps (Friday, 7.45pm, Kingston Park Stadium, live on BT Sport 1)

15 Tom Penny
14 Mateo Carreras
13 George Wacokecoke
12 Luther Burrell
11 Ben Stevenson
10 Joel Hodgson
9 Michael Young (captain)
1 Trevor Davison
2 George McGuigan
3 Logovi'i Mulipola
4 Greg Peterson
5 Marco Fuser
6 Sean Robinson
7 Will Welch
8 Philip van der Walt

Replacements
16 Jamie Blamire
17 Kyle Cooper
18 Mark Tampin
19 Will Montgomery
20 Callum Chick
21 Louis Schreuder
22 Brett Connon
23 Alex Tait

[Mr Mwenda]

Why are slow players honest? There's something deceptive that's seen around pace

I guess a fast player can pretend to be slow, whereas it's harder the other way round. Greenwood excepted.

[Banquo]

Why are slow players honest? There's something deceptive that's seen around pace

That’s your own leap. Why am I surprised.

[Banquo]

Why are slow players honest? There's something deceptive that's seen around pace

Not at all what I meant. You get what you pay for with him.

[Digby]

Just a more general thought, honest players or those commented as such tend to be slower ones

[Banquo]

Just a more general thought, honest players or those commented as such tend to be slower ones

Maybe so. I guess it’s a sympathy vote for good honest club players who give everything but lack the spark needed for international rugby.

[Digby]

Just a more general thought, honest players or those commented as such tend to be slower ones

Maybe so. I guess it’s a sympathy vote for good honest club players who give everything but lack the spark needed for international rugby.

Justice for Tim Payne and Brad Barritt.

Though you don't tend to find a fast elusive winger described as honest, nor a 9 such as Dupont as you might for Shaun Perry

[Banquo]

Just a more general thought, honest players or those commented as such tend to be slower ones

Maybe so. I guess it’s a sympathy vote for good honest club players who give everything but lack the spark needed for international rugby.

Justice for Tim Payne and Brad Barritt.

Though you don't tend to find a fast elusive winger described as honest, nor a 9 such as Dupont as you might for Shaun Perry

I'll get back to you.

[Peej]

Healey picked Wasps as favourites in the build up, and predictably we are second best across the park. Gopperth excepted

[padprop]

Is the TMO playing Solitaire or something? Missed a clear no try and didn’t bother looking at potential gouge. What a farce.

[I R Geech]

Is the TMO playing Solitaire or something? Missed a clear no try and didn’t bother looking at potential gouge. What a farce.

Clear as day. Appalling.

[Peej]

Inexperienced ref, but yeah sure, you just take it easy, TMO.

[Peej]

This is such a poor Newcastle team too, Wasps are deep in the shit

[Peej]

Is the TMO playing Solitaire or something? Missed a clear no try and didn’t bother looking at potential gouge. What a farce.

Clear as day. Appalling.

Literally only one camera angle needed. And it was after the whistle. Lol at the commentary; "Graham Hughes having a good look at things." Well, evidently not

[Puja]

This is such a poor Newcastle team too, Wasps are deep in the shit

They're not high quality, but they're expertly drilled and very good at what they do. Lovely work by Penny for Wacokecoke's try - turned it from a 90% try in the corner to guarantee.

BT Sport have just shown the wide angle of Carreras's gouge. I didn't think it could look any worse than the closeup, but it does. Carreras clearly looks down and aims his hand - it's not a blind flailing in a ruck, it's a deliberate attempt to hurt someone. It's after the play has stopped as well, so it's not even as though it's in the heat of the moment - there's no value to it or attempt to get an advantage; he's just taking an opportunity to hurt someone. Worse than Clark's arm-breaker in terms of sheer despicableness and that's something I never thought I'd say. Should be a multi-year ban with the only thing stopping it from being life is that he hasn't gone that hard at it.

Fair play to Bassett for not lamping him. Shame he didn't - it would've forced the TMO to intervene if he'd caused a scrap.

Puja

[Peej]

This is such a poor Newcastle team too, Wasps are deep in the shit

They're not high quality, but they're expertly drilled and very good at what they do. Lovely work by Penny for Wacokecoke's try - turned it from a 90% try in the corner to guarantee.

BT Sport have just shown the wide angle of Carreras's gouge. I didn't think it could look any worse than the closeup, but it does. Carreras clearly looks down and aims his hand - it's not a blind flailing in a ruck, it's a deliberate attempt to hurt someone. It's after the play has stopped as well, so it's not even as though it's in the heat of the moment - there's no value to it or attempt to get an advantage; he's just taking an opportunity to hurt someone. Worse than Clark's arm-breaker in terms of sheer despicableness and that's something I never thought I'd say. Should be a multi-year ban with the only thing stopping it from being life is that he hasn't gone that hard at it.

Puja

They are military medium, and any decent side should bury them.

As fir the gouge, it shouldn't just be him that's banned. You can't say "that'll be cited" IN THE GAME and not do anything about it at the time. The play had stopped, there was no difficulty in pausing and looking. How many spurious calls does the TMO normally make each game? Hughes and this ref should both be barred from Pemiership games for the foreseeable. But since a proven benefits fraud continues to be a TMO then that's probably expecting too much

[padprop]

Huge dichotomy between how hard wasps have to work for their tries in recent weeks and how hard opposing teams have to. That and discipline are the big issues.

[Peej]

Oh yeah, Wasps are utterly terrible currently. Just no midfield punch, no real way of getting on the front foot and getting a defence back peddling

[Puja]

This is such a poor Newcastle team too, Wasps are deep in the shit

They're not high quality, but they're expertly drilled and very good at what they do. Lovely work by Penny for Wacokecoke's try - turned it from a 90% try in the corner to guarantee.

BT Sport have just shown the wide angle of Carreras's gouge. I didn't think it could look any worse than the closeup, but it does. Carreras clearly looks down and aims his hand - it's not a blind flailing in a ruck, it's a deliberate attempt to hurt someone. It's after the play has stopped as well, so it's not even as though it's in the heat of the moment - there's no value to it or attempt to get an advantage; he's just taking an opportunity to hurt someone. Worse than Clark's arm-breaker in terms of sheer despicableness and that's something I never thought I'd say. Should be a multi-year ban with the only thing stopping it from being life is that he hasn't gone that hard at it.

Puja

They are military medium, and any decent side should bury them.

As fir the gouge, it shouldn't just be him that's banned. You can't say "that'll be cited" IN THE GAME and not do anything about it at the time. The play had stopped, there was no difficulty in pausing and looking. How many spurious calls does the TMO normally make each game? Hughes and this ref should both be barred from Pemiership games for the foreseeable. But since a proven benefits fraud continues to be a TMO then that's probably expecting too much

You say that, but six sides this season haven't. Given how low the quality of their squad is, there's something to them.

Agreed on the refereeing. There's a little sympathy for the referee, as he's not seen anything and he can't referee based on complaints from players, but that's the TMO's job every day of the week and it's not like the game carried on quickly - there was a big, long pause before the penalty was kicked.

Puja

[Puja]

Gabriel Oghre has just attempted to unscrew Carreras's head like a bottle top. Quite pleased the TMO's still asleep, because he deserves all of that and more.

Puja

[Peej]

That Barbeary call was exactly the one the ref should have made in the first half