Match reaction: Dai Young post Northampton Saints

Following Wasps' win in the Stinger match against Northampton Saints, Director of Rugby Dai Young was pleased with the win, but knew areas of the performance would need improving before Saturday's European Quarter Final. 

"It was quite a strange atmosphere in the dressing room," he said. "Obviously there were a lot of smiles because we won, but we certainly weren't going over the top. I think everyone knows were weren't at our best, so it was slightly tinged with disappointment in the way that we played.”
Young and the players ackowledged there will still be plenty of work to be done on the training field ahead of Wasps' European showdown with Exeter Chiefs.
"I said to the boys that I thought we were really edgy, we were forcing things and dropping a lot of balls. It didn't help the lineout was shaky because that could have given us a bit more of a platform.
“We forced things when we didn't need to. We need to have more confidence in our attack, to go through that extra phase if we have to and not throw silly passes, to make sure we retain the ball. We know teams are going to come at us at the contact area and slow us down, so we've got to be more efficient.”
However, the win and four valuable points in the table remained the most important thing for Wasps' Director of Rugby.
"It doesn't matter how you get it, to get a win against Saints is great. We haven't had that many wins over Northampton in recent years, so we were very pleased to get the four points today. I am disappointed in some of the aspects of our game today, but in the end we were good enough to get the result.”
Asked about Craig Hampson's performance on his first start for Wasps, Young was full of praise:
"I thought Craig did really well, he obviously tied up with a bit of cramp towards the end which was understandable, but he got the ball away really quickly and his kicking game was good, so I think he would have really enjoyed that."

There were also a number of other positives for Young.
"I think the scrum went well for us, that is an area that Northampton have traditionally dominated us in. When we had opportunities we did take them and our defence was pretty good today.”
The win puts Wasps in a strong position in the table, but Young isn’t getting carried away.
"We've got a bit of breathing space now. One more win and I think mathematically we have secured our place in the play-offs. As I've said before, if you are in the top four going into the last three games then you have to be going for it. Obviously we are going to give it our best shot, there are a lot of tough games ahead but we've got to make sure we finish the job now. We are certainly in there with a chance now.”
Wasps now look ahead to next week's European Champions Cup Quarter Final and Young is well aware how difficult a test lies ahead, but it's a challenge all players and coaches will relish.
"Everyone realises that today's performance won't be good enough next week. But we've put together a good run and players have taken their opportunities really well. Competition for places is fierce across the squad so selection is going to be tough next week. We've rotated as much as we could during the international period. As next week is a one off, we've got to nail what at this moment in time is our best 23. That is going to cause us some real headaches, but it's a good headache to have!"