McIntyre: It’s a game they target

Having not lost to Wasps on their own patch since 2010, Simon McIntyre says this weekend’s clash is one Sale Sharks will be targeting.

Last weekend, Wasps were forced to leave the Ricoh Arena, where they have enjoyed some of their biggest triumphs this season, without a point for all their troubles. Having reviewed the game, Simon McIntyre points to a four-minute period that proved the undoing of his side.

“Saracens play a very high percentage game, with a lot of kicks, and they exert a lot of pressure on teams. They put a lot of high balls up to test your back three. We didn’t really combat that very well on Sunday and they had a good four minutes, where they got the reward for the pressure they were exerting and we made some mistakes that allowed them to capitalise.

“We stuck in the game well and we put a lot of pressure on them ourselves. I thought in parts we did play some really good stuff, they were under the pump a little bit, but they managed to hold out until the end of the game, when we got a well-worked try. On the whole, we were happy enough with the performance, we know we can play better, but it was just unfortunate that the bounce of the ball didn’t go our way. Playing against the premier side in Europe at the moment, they are going to capitalise on those one or two mistakes you make and unfortunately that is what happened.”

This weekend provides Wasps with a completely different set of challenges. This campaign’s gruelling nature sees Wasps travel away to Sale, where they last won in 2010. McIntyre says that record is no surprise, as the former Shark explains how tough it is to win on their home patch.

“We haven’t won at Sale since I have been at the club and I know, having spoken to a few of the Sale boys, it’s a game they target every year. I think it’s a game we are very capable of winning, but there are a lot of things we need to put right from the weekend if we are to do that. Saying that, there is also a lot of good stuff we did on the weekend, which we can take into the game. So it will be interesting.

“They have a very good pack of forwards who are well-drilled by Steve Diamond. They have a great driving game and scrummaging is also a massive weapon for them. I think they have the highest percentage of scrums won on their own ball, so that is something that we need to focus on. First and foremost we need to be secure on our own ball, but we want to put a lot of pressure on them. We need to muscle up in our driving game and they are going to put a lot of heat on us at the breakdown, because their back row are very good at getting over the ball.”

The game marks an important period of games for the men in black and gold as they look to pull themselves back up the Aviva Premiership table. After a strong showing in Europe recently, McIntyre says that domestic form has to follow as they head into the new year.

“When the European games come back around we will address that, but at the moment our focus is solely on the Premiership. We didn’t get what we wanted from the game on the weekend, so these next two games before we go back into Europe are massive for us. We really need to get back on track. Our away form has been looked at in the past as not being good enough and by our own admission it hasn’t always been where we would have liked it to be. So we need to get results from games like these, which is going to be tough because it is a competitive league and they are such a tough side, but it is vital if we want to start climbing up the table.”