By Peter Snow's Swingometer
November 7 2003

London Wasps' one achilles heel in league rugby is never having won at Welford Road. Over a dozen visits to Leicester by our club has yielded precisely one bonus point from the windswept, waterlogged 9-6 defeat last season. Leicester have lost five straight games. If not now, when will we win there? Leicester's fortunes continue to wane whilst their forwards are away on World Cup duty. Dean Richards must have felt Clive Woodward's inclusion of Martin Corry in the England team at the expense of Simon Shaw like a knife in the back. Woodward's blade may have been blunted by Shaw's call-up last weekend but his forwards are still shy of six first choice players. And Woodward could have picked Graham Rowntree too.

Leicester's policy of developing English players may be backfiring on the club just now. But we would do well to remember that the present incumbents are coming on too. If you were down at Twyford Avenue about eighteen months ago you would have witnessed a few of the youngsters turning out tomorrow. Wasps academicians were too strong for them that day but Sam Vesty was calling the shots at stand-off and Loius Deacon was giving our locks something to think about in the lineouts.

If you were following the England Sevens team you might have seen Neil Baxter flying down the field. And we last saw Freddie Tuilagi's brother, Henry, plying his trade for Overmach Parma last season. The other benchmen are no slouches either. Leicester might be short of confidence but they began the season with two wins and a draw.

Players such as captain Josh Kronfeld and Darryl Gibson have plenty of know-how and Dan Lyle is back from his World Cup sabbatical with USA to start his first game for his new club. And dear old Austin Healey finds himself at fullback as he becomes a league centurion. Let us see if he can reinvent himself yet again. Leicester will have noticed that Wasps are vulnerable to opponents running from deep. It could be an enterprising afternoon for the diminutive one, if Tigers' backs can find some confidence. Knowing Wasps wayward kicking from hand of late, they might just get the opportunity.

Wasps welcome back Rob Howley at scrum half and Mark Lock at no. 8. If our forward platform holds steady and we keep the ball and keep the scoreboard ticking over then Tigers ought to be staring at another home defeat. It is 13 seasons since the midlands club suffered such an plight -- and Wasps was one of those teams, beating our hosts in a cup match. We also beat them at Welford Road in an epic cup semifinal in 1995. Come on lads, time and tide wait for no man.

The old swingometer is hovering over a close shave for Wasps, if and only if we're not over-confident. It will be as tight as last season's 9-6 defeat.

London Wasps: 15 Tom Voyce; 14 Shane Roiser, 13 Fraser Waters, 12 Mark Denney, 11 John Rudd; 10 Mark Van Gisbergen, 9 Rob Howley (Capt.); 1 Tim Payne, 2 Phil Greening, 3 Craig Dowd, 4 Martin Purdy, 5 Richard Birkett, 6 Paul Volley, 7 Jonny O'Connor, 8 Mark Lock

Bench: 16 Peter Richards, 17 Ayoola Erinle, 18 Ian Clarke, 19 Alistair McKenzie, 20 George Skivington, 21 Peter Scrivener, 22 Trevor Leota

Leicester: 15 Austin Healey; 14 Neil Baxter, 13 Ollie Smith, 12 Daryl Gibson, 11 Freddie Tuilagi; 10 Ramiro Pez, 9 Harry Ellis; 1 Graham Rowntree, 2 Jim Richards, 3 Darren Morris, 4 Stewart Campbell, 5 Louis Deacon, 6 Will Skinner, 7 Josh Kronfeld (Capt.), 8 Dan Lyle

Bench: 16 George Chuter, 17 Ricky Nebbett, 18 Brett Deacon, 19 Henry Tuilagi, 20 Adam Balding, 21 Steve Booth, 22 Sam Vesty

Related link: Tiggers