Wasps v Leinster

As Wasps are now fairly accessible for us I have just booked tickets for my son and me for the big European clash against Leinster. From what I can make out tickets seem to be selling fast with only space in the corners and ends now available. Are any fellow 606ers going along? Also, does anyone know if Leinster have a big travelling support like Munster? I'm guessing that they will be well supported as most Irish teams seem to be. Looking forward to a cracking match - hopefully with a great atmosphere too.

Yes. I will be there with a fairly large travelling Leinster contingent.

Tough game. winner takes all. Should be a cracker

Yeah - should be a good one for sure - plenty to play for.

I think Wasps have laid on a lot of entertainment prior to the kick off with the Leinster fans in mind...

Big screens to hang around and watch Northampton v Racing too.

Good stuff - that's another potential cracker.

http://www.wasps.co.uk/news/article/2015/01/15/over-15-000-tickets-sold-for-wasps-european-clash-against-leinster

15,000 tickets sold already. Really great progress they're making in Coventry. I do hope they can keep this up over the seasons.

Yes I saw that too Coleman - and that was the situation 5 days ago. I'd be interested to see how many have sold as of today. Certainly between my first look yesterday and this lunchtime the seats were filling fast. Agree with you too that it will be good to see Wasps keep up this level of interest.

Really hope Wasps can continue to grow at the rate they have done over the last couple of years. They've made big decisions and they're paying off. Its remarkable what a well-run club can acheive with common sense and taking some informed risks.

As a blues fan I've long yearned for Dai Young, a lot of people thought he held us back in our 'golden age' but I couldnt disagree any more. Glad to see he's doing well too.

As for the game, should be fireworks!

Having had a quick read through a Wasps forum it looks like they'd sold over 20000 tickets by yesterday. Some posters there are predicting over 25000 to attend in total. Should mean a good income for the club on the day and I reckon they'll shift a bit of extra Guinness too!

Man I wish we had got one more bonus point in the earlier rounds and this would be a much nicer fixture for us!

Terrified that we could either get a Home Quarter Final or nada at all!

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Man I wish we had got one more bonus point in the earlier rounds...

There will be a lot of teams this year thinking how different life might have been if they had managed to squeeze a bit more out of their matches.

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Man I wish we had got one more bonus point in the earlier rounds and this would be a much nicer fixture for us!

Terrified that we could either get a Home Quarter Final or nada at all!

Are you going over to watch Pete?

stub wrote:

pete (buachaill on eirne) wrote:Man I wish we had got one more bonus point in the earlier rounds and this would be a much nicer fixture for us!

Terrified that we could either get a Home Quarter Final or nada at all!

Are you going over to watch Pete?

Or are you still out near George Carlin?

Bonus point would only matter if we lose on Saturday. Even then. Saracens and Leicester are in tougher situations than us. Saracens could REALLY have done with the 4th try v Munster. Huge ask to win at the Marcel Michelin. Leinster never did it in their best days. Not saying that Sarries won't, but I would be really surprised.

I think ASM have lost a couple of times at home since Leinster last travelled to the Marcel Michelin. If Sarries win, it will mean one thing, that they earnt it! The support there is great, the atmosphere around and inside the stadium right down to how they announce their team to the crowd. One of the best away grounds I've been to.

Back to Wasps v Leinster.

My head says that Wasps will break out in this game and win by 10-14 points, triggering the medjia to declare Irish rugby deceased. I reckon Wasps can match Leinster in the tight 5, I think they'll have the edge in the back row. I think they have one of the form scrum-halves around and plenty of pace out wide. My head also says Leinster haven't put in back-to-back performances in a long time, TH is one game back from injury, we only have 1 lock (Toner plays well, the others can go missing), chances are Boss starts (good lad to slow down any game), our midfield has been pick-n-mix and our back-three all are just back from injuries and may still be carrying one or two.

My heart hopes Leinster take momentum from a relatively easy game against Castre, attack the scrum, attack the lineout, play with tempo, don't kick the leather off the ball and be sure of making touch when the option is available, but make sure to play in the opposition's half of the field. If they do this, it could be a 3 point loss. My heart also hopes Castre decide that the game against Quins is at home, before a key Top14 clash and they need to put in a performance and show their fans and their coach that they will play and put their bodies on the line for their jersey.

Wishful thinking....

I think this has all the makings for a great game of footy. Wasps seem on the up. Plus the possibility of a big home crowd in thier new digs. Leinster are off a bit of form from previous seasons, but still are Leinster. No matter how I analyse the match, it somply comes down to being a close one. And a real good one.

Good luck to both. No way I would put any quid down on either side. But if I was forced to pick, I would probably think Leinster shades it by a hair's margin.

I agree doc. Leinster have the experience of this type of game. Wasps' only equivalent was the return play off v SF last season.

But we are at 'home' and have racked up 89 points and 11 tries in two games at the Ricoh. But London Irish and Sale are not Leinster.

I hope everyone going has a great day.

Over 22,000 tickets sold so far. Mentioned in a nice piece by Eliot Day below...


http://www.wasps.co.uk/news/article/2015/01/22/daly-set-for-100-club

Lots of respect for Leinster in there.

I can see bonus points win for Wasps.

Other than experience, which counts for a lot in fairness, I don't see were Leinster have an edge and think Wasps are in rich vein of form and will have too much pace, youth and power for this Leinster team.

I dunno rudders. Leinster will be fighting tooth and nail for the win, and they'll keep coming at Wasps. I reckon there will be a score in it, and I can't call it either way.

Rodders, I am with Hound on this. Leinster have a lot of crunch game experience. It is something which can't be measured. It is another factor which makes this one so interesting.

I have some optimism that Leinster can get the result which is a surprise as I was losing all faith at one stage of the season.

I think the fact that we had such a handy game v Castres while Wasps put in a real bruising defensive effort v Quins gives us an advantage.We also have an extra days rest and we took a lot of our key players off around the 50 minute mark last week.I'm hoping that could all make enough of a difference that we'll pull through.

It's going to be tight and hard fought I think and is too close to call for me - can't wait!!

Good to see two Irish-owned teams being so well supported in England.

Big Irish ex-pat community to tap into in Coventry too....

Birmingham also home to a large Irish community...

Pot Hale wrote:Good to see two Irish-owned teams being so well supported in England.

Big Irish ex-pat community to tap into in Coventry too....

The Gatehouse pub in central Coventry is practically the Coventry Irish RFC clubhouse. A big rugby pub with the 6N team emblems in stained glass in the windows. I met my pals in there when Wasps played Munster in 2008. Good craic with the Munster fans before the game...apart from the b*st*rds who jumped my cab!

Hound of Harrow wrote:

Pot Hale wrote:Good to see two Irish-owned teams being so well supported in England.

Big Irish ex-pat community to tap into in Coventry too....

The Gatehouse pub in central Coventry is practically the Coventry Irish RFC clubhouse. A big rugby pub with the 6N team emblems in stained glass in the windows. I met my pals in there when Wasps played Munster in 2008. Good craic with the Munster fans before the game...apart from the b*st*rds who jumped my cab!

I remember that happening to me after a very late one down in Sunbury many years ago.... could only end up laughing at the bare-faced cheek of the two London Irish lads who literally jumped in the taxi ahead of me, slammed the door and the driver took off.

Richardson seems to have played his cards very well so far with the Wasps (franchise) - if he can really bed them down locally, Coventry Wasps RFC may be the next development of the moniker.

Even though Castres are one of the European Cups most Dismal teams, putting 50 points on anybody would be a huge confidence boost for Leinster. And they've been lacking confidence at times this season, so that big win will give us the boost we need to go on and top the group. Leinster by 5.

doctor_grey wrote:Rodders, I am with Hound on this.  Leinster have a lot of crunch game experience.  It is something which can't be measured.  It is another factor which makes this one so interesting.  

yeah I agree - Leinster have that big match temperment, in fact to some degree they've been surviving of it for 2 seasons, winning games that they've been totally outplayed and that could well happen here.

I just see a team on the up in wasps and a team on the down in Leinster. If this was at the RDS I'd fancy Leinster to be too cute but over there I just see Wasps having too much especially if they get quick ball. That failure to beat quins, who turned out to be the weaker side in the group, back to back could haunt Leinster here.

That said I hope Leinster do it and that the Castres performance wasn't a false dawn. The Irish, and Rabo sides generally just haven't stepped up to the challenge in this competition.

I don't have any sound logic but I think Leinster will win. Maybe its my foolish optimisim or arrogance that "upstarts" like Wasps couldn't possibly deny us a place in the QFs. I just see us winning even the though the evidence of form and performances say the exact opposite.

Can't wait, the 1st Leinster game this season I'm really looking forward to that doesn't have a sense of pure dread behind it.

To be fair the 3 main Irish provinces are all rebuilding having lost several key players. Leinster without Sexton (and Schmidt at the helm) are not the same attacking force as before. Take away the Castres win and they have struggled to score tries in the RCC.

With Sexton back next term I expect them to come good again...They still can this season.

the-goon wrote:I don't have any sound logic but I think Leinster will win. Maybe its my foolish optimisim or arrogance that "upstarts" like Wasps couldn't possibly deny us a place in the QFs. I just see us winning even the though the evidence of form and performances say the exact opposite.

Can't wait, the 1st Leinster game this season I'm really looking forward to that doesn't have a sense of pure dread behind it.

Given Wasps' HEC history the use of 'upstarts' is quite something

Slight underdogs rather than upstarts might be more apt?

I don't know that much about either team tbh but these teams are being bandied around a Wasps forum (copied and pasted):

WASPS

Assuming Leiua is broken.

Mullan
Festy
JCW
Davies
Gaskell
Johnson
Haskell
Hughes

Simpson
Goode
Varndell
Jacobs
Daly
Wade
Miller

Bench: Shervs, Mcintyre, Citti, Myall, Thompson, Davies, Loz, Masi (if not fit Losi)

LEINSTER

1: Michael Bent
2: Richardt Strauss
3: Marty Moore
4: Kane Douglas
5: Dev Toner
6: Jack Conan
7: Shane Jennings
8: Jamie Heaslip

9: Eoin Reddan
10: Jimmy Gopperth
11: Dave Kearney
12: Ian Madigan
13: Luke FitzGerald
14: Ferg McFadden
15: Rob Kearney

lostinwales wrote:

the-goon wrote:I don't have any sound logic but I think Leinster will win. Maybe its my foolish optimisim or arrogance that "upstarts" like Wasps couldn't possibly deny us a place in the QFs. I just see us winning even the though the evidence of form and performances say the exact opposite.

Can't wait, the 1st Leinster game this season I'm really looking forward to that doesn't have a sense of pure dread behind it.

Given Wasps' HEC history the use of 'upstarts' is quite something

Wasps beat us (With Eoin Redan at the Helm) in 2007 on the way to their 2nd HC. We are the upstarts. The fact that we hockeyed them 41 11 18 months later doesn't change that.

This one should be billed as the Upstarts vs the Has-beens

LEINSTER:

15. Rob Kearney
14. Fergus McFadden
13. Luke Fitzgerald
12. Ian Madigan
11. Dave Kearney
10. Jimmy Gopperth
9. Eoin Reddan
1. Michael Bent
2. Sean Cronin
3. Marty Moore
4. Devin Toner
5. Kane Douglas
6. Dominic Ryan
7. Jordi Murphy
8. Jamie Heaslip CAPTAIN

16. Richardt Strauss
17. Jamie Hagan
18. Tadhg Furlong
19. Mike McCarthy
20. Jack Conan
21. Isaac Boss
22. Gordon D'Arcy
23. Darragh Fanning

Wasps

15. Rob Miller
14. Christian Wade
13. Elliot Daly
12. Ben Jacobs
11. Tom Varndell
10. Andy Goode
9. Joe Simpson
1. Matt Mullan
2. Edd Shervington
3. Lorenzo Cittadini
4. Bradley Davies
5. James Gaskell
6. Ashley Johnson
7. James Haskell (c)
8. Nathan Hughes

16. Carlo Festuccia
17. Simon McIntyre
18. Jake Cooper-Woolley
19. Kearnan Myall
20. Guy Thompson
21. Ed Jackson
22. Alex Lozowski
23. Andrea Masi

Some very impressive names in that Leinster team...

Mike Ross has really fallen down the pecking order very quickly,can't say it's unfair he has been poor this season and in Moore and Furlong we have 2 young TH's who should get a lot of caps for both club and country injury permitting.

http://www.wasps.co.uk/news/article/2015/01/23/wasps-team-for-winner-takes-all-clash-against-leinster

Over 22000 expected tomorrow...

Just about to head off to the Ricoh. Whilst I'll be supporting the English teams this weekend I hope that everyone has a great couple of days of rugby.

If I was an ulster fan (which I am) I would be raging that the same ref gave a yellow for that after the quarter last year!

If anyone has a link....

??? Maddog - he gave a yellow again - why the rage?

He have a red last year!

Heaf wrote:??? Maddog - he gave a yellow again - why the rage?

Last year in the Ulster match he gave a red card

He gave a red for Payne's challenge in last years game... Suppose we can take this as implicit acceptance that he was wrong to do so. Shame about Dave Kearney, would have had him in my ireland team for the 6ns

God it's good to have Marty Moore back

Ah I see ... didn't get what you meant at first ... dumb challenge by Johnson as well

Yeah it looks like Dave might have done something fairly serious to the shoulder, should have been a red, I disagree with the rule but lets not open that can of worms again