Match reaction - Dai Young post Sale Sharks

Following Wasps’ bonus point win against Sale Sharks at the Ricoh Arena, Director of Rugby Dai Young was understandably pleased with the outcome, backing up last weekend’s home win over Leicester Tigers to stay third in the table.

“There are obviously lots of things to improve on, but we certainly would’ve taken those five points before the game. We’re keeping the momentum moving in the right direction, so I’m pleased.
“We hit the ground running and that’s what we talked about before the game. If you look at Sale, they score a lot of points in the first 20 minutes, so we knew that the first quarter was going to be huge.
“I felt we pretty much won the first 25 minutes and then eased up a little bit and Sale got back into the game. I think it was 30 points to 12 when they came back, so we needed another score and thankfully we got that and could then finish off the game.”
Asked about the importance of Wasps’ squad with key players missing during the international period, Young said:
“We’ve stressed throughout this season that it’s about our whole squad, not a starting XV or even a match day 23. We've mixed it up as much as we can during this period. The bench that’s come on has done a good job again, so I was really pleased.
“We want to play rugby and obviously the weather is a little bit better and the ground’s a little bit faster and that gives us the opportunity, if we really hit our straps, to get the bonus point win, but most importantly the win is what we set out to achieve.”
This win sets up another two huge contests for Wasps in the context of the table, first an Easter trip to the Falcons and then a clash against Northampton Saints at the Ricoh Arena in what could be billed as a top four decider, with both side’s Grand Slam winners returning to the fold to boost the squads.
“The biggest priority is always the next match,” said Young. “There's no easy game. You see how well the Falcons have been playing, the scalps they’ve already taken, but we know if we go to Newcastle and can get a result, that will put us in a very good position in the top four, with a really massive game against Northampton Saints which could have a real bearing on top four places.”
Young and his Wasps squad will be hoping Wasps fans turn out in force for that key clash which is this season’s Stinger – the club’s flagship game. Young also wanted to make special mention of Wasps’ supporters who again turned out to meet the bus and played their part in setting the tone for the match against Sale:
“You shouldn’t underestimate what that kind of reception does for a team. The buzz it gives us as coaches and players is incredible. When you drive round the corner and see the Wasps’ flags waving and fans waiting for us, it rams home just how important the next few hours are. It creates that big match feeling, very much like internationals when players arrive, so on behalf of the whole playing squad I’d like to thank everyone who made the effort again today and say more of the same next match against Saints please. It’s really appreciated by us all.