By Loose Head
April 24 2002

The last two games have been top drawer performances. It is hard to know who to mention in particular. Alex King for his control of the game; Ian Jones for wrecking the Gloucester line out and making ours secure; Josh Lewsey for being the best full back in the country; LBND for the drive he injects Wasps 44 Gloucester 9

The pack provided the sort of platform that backs dream of. When Alex fed the ball out right and Josh came into the line at full tilt the first try was made. The most controversial incident of the game happened when Volls met the Glos inside centre who laid into Volls with extreme violence. Just as Volls was able to defend himself the Glos hooker joined in – he clearly was not trying to separate them. There then followed a brief, yet mass, bundle. Volls is no saint, but to receive a good pasting and then get red carded as well is hardly justified. The Glozzer centre was red carded too and Wasps had the ensuing penalty. Very curious. Gloucester did not reorganise. Instead they kept their pack at 8 and left the gap at inside centre. Meat and drink to Alex who scythed through and put Stuart Abbot in for try number 2.

Glozzer now reorganised and subbed a back row for Henry Paul to fill out the backs. They really shouldn’t have bothered. How HP can get £200K for his performance is anyone’s guess. I wonder if Melville will agree with the PSA point of view of the job being to put out a team to win games, not to teach one man how to play rugby union.

Some think that Trevor’s try in the second half was a bit controversial insofar as it didn’t reach. The word from the chaps was that Trevor lunged and didn’t make it so Dowd picked up and lunged a bit further and did make it. Seems fairly understandable.

If there is a difference that could be pointed to between the ancien regime and current management is that Wasps are playing with a good deal more aggression. Of course, when LBND is on the pitch nobody wants to miss a tackle, he has a certain way of pointing out people’s errors.

With a ruck on the Glozzer line and the backs ready to strike, Woody dummied everyone – including the ref - and dived over to score try number 4 and we were staring at a five pointer. Only a miracle and slick determined play could stop Wasps now. Consequently, Wasps were not stopped at all. Wasps prevented Gloucester from developing anything. It would be too easy and wrong to say that Gloucester played badly and lost, they were outclassed. When a team is desperate to catch up errors can creep in. At some points it seemed as though Glozzer didn’t want to hold the ball, they would much prefer to knock on. But they didn’t give up and asked questions continually. Attacks were met with ferocious tackling. Which is why I say that Glozzer can’t just say they played badly in some form of backhanded compliment to Wasps.

The game having been effectively won, Gatland took the opportunity to get some of the stars off the pitch. Has LBND ever been subbed off uninjured before? Alex came off, Geezer on at scrummie and Woody to fly half. Corp off, Bearshaw on. There was a Glozzer scrum on their 22. Friday (Geezer) disrupted the oppo scrum half and the ball spilled loose. LBND’s replacement, Mark Lock, was on to it in a flash and ran in to score Wasps number 5.

Ten points ahead of the bottom placed club(s). We are now seriously looking at play-offs and Europe for next year. Looks like a new tour shirt for the Drunken Wasps made be required after all.


Loose Head