Five things we learned from Wasps' Aviva Premiership victory over London Irish
Wasps make it four wins in a row with victory over Irish at Twickenham - here's what we learned
Hughes the star
The unquestioned star of the show, for the fourth time in Wasps’ seven matches so far this season, was their Fijian-born No.8. Hughes is a human battering ram, with deceptive pace and dextrous hands.
His 92 metres from 22 carries do not do justice to the impact he made as defenders were drawn to him, leaving space in wider channels. Hughes also defends solidly and provides a useful lineout option.
For England fans, the prospect of Billy Vunipola and Hughes in harness, once his qualification is complete in June, is an enticing one.
Precision required
Dai Young was thrilled by his team’s bonus point win, and rightly pointed out the physical impact of their European double.
But after two weeks when concentration levels were outstanding and their execution rate correspondingly good, Wasps’ finishing at Twickenham was slipshod. They should have been out of sight by half time, such was their dominance of possession and territory.
However, overlaps went begging and handling errors proliferated, meaning the Exiles were in touch until Thomas Young touched down Wasps’ third try in the 70th minute.
Against struggling opponents, Dai was correct in asserting that his team always seemed likely to win regardless, but they made it a lot harder than should have been strictly necessary.
A chip off the old block...
Dai Young’s son Thomas made his first start of the season at open-side flanker, and caught the eye with an impressive display.
Young junior’s learning process has presumably accelerated this year, with George Smith as a personal tutor. His powerful, stocky physique gave him strength over the ball, while he tackled hard and was prominent around the field.
Thomas also has some pace, which is one of the reasons why he is a flanker not a prop, and maybe not such an obvious chip off the old block after all...
Scrum deadlock
Wasps’ first cleanly-won scrum ball came after the hour mark, which tells its own tale.
They only conceded five penalties in the match but three of those came at the scrum which was under pressure until the latter stages when six different players filled the front row positions.
In fairness, London Irish did not enjoy a glut of good possession from the scrum either. When Matt Mullan said afterwards neither pack would take a backward step, his words had literal meaning, as their preferred option was to collapse or wheel the set-piece.
The County Cricket Syndrome
The London double-header is a great idea, and has been very successful since its 2004 launch. This year’s event was much-changed, however, due to upheaval caused by the World Cup.
Moving it away from the opening Saturday of the season meant we watched in coats and gloves not T-shirts, while its proximity to Harlequins’ annual visit to HQ for their ‘Big Game’ meant Worcester were co-opted in.
A less than half-full Twickenham was the result, and, much like the final day of a drawn county championship match at Edgbaston, the fans rattled round the grandstands in a muted atmosphere.
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