Uncontested?
Wasps 21 - 16 London Irish
Uncontested?
By Dawson9
March 11 2009
Considering today’s game went to uncontested scrums I thought I’d start this week’s match report by having a look at the uncontested scrum phenomenon that (apparently) plague’s Wasps. Last season Wasps went to uncontested scrums in both the GP final and the GP semi final, both games live on Sky. Early this season, both Pat Barnard and Phil Vickery were forced to leave the field at Welford Road.
Uncontested?
March 11 2009
Considering today’s game went to uncontested scrums I thought I’d start this week’s match report by having a look at the uncontested scrum phenomenon that (apparently) plague’s Wasps. Last season Wasps went to uncontested scrums in both the GP final and the GP semi final, both games live on Sky. Early this season, both Pat Barnard and Phil Vickery were forced to leave the field at Welford Road.
The Uncontested Scrums Myth
Considering today’s game went to uncontested scrums I thought I’d start this week’s match report by having a look at the uncontested scrum phenomenon that (apparently) plagues Wasps. Last season Wasps went to uncontested scrums in both the GP final and the GP semi final, both games live on Sky. Early this season, both Pat Barnard and Phil Vickery were forced to leave the field at Welford Road. Another game live on Sky, with footage of the Tigers’ fans chanting ‘cheat cheat cheat’ for everyone to see. Ever since then, opposition fans have appeared on our board accusing our team of cheating in the scrums ad infinitum.
Forgetting the games at the tail end of last season (as I would have to look at all the games from last season as well) I have looked at each game Wasps have played this season and whether they went to uncontested scrums. These are the results:
6th Sept 2008 - London Irish (A) –
75th Minute – J.Buckland on, A.Corbisiero off.
Uncontested scrums, opposition at fault.
14th Sept 2008 – Worcester Warriors (H)
No uncontested scrums.
20th Sept 2008 – Northampton Saints (A)
No uncontested scrums.
26th Sept 2008 – Leicester Tigers (A)
58th Minute – D.Varley on, P.Barnard off.
Uncontested scrums, Wasps at fault.
1st Oct 2008 – Bath Rugby (H)
No uncontested scrums.
4th Oct 2008 – Gloucester (A)
No uncontested scrums.
12th Oct 2008 – Castres (H)
No uncontested scrums.
18th Oct 2008 – Leinster (A)
74th Minute – J.Fogarty on, S.Wright off.
Uncontested scrums, opposition at fault.
24th Oct 2008 – Newcastle (A)
No uncontested scrums.
2nd Nov 2008 – Newport Gwent Dragons (H)
67th Minute – D.Lydiate on, A.Murphy off.
Uncontested scrums, opposition at fault.
16th Nov 2008 – Harlequins (A)
No uncontested scrums.
23rd Nov 2008 – Sale Sharks (H)
74th Minute – D.Varley on, M.Holford off.
Uncontested scrums, Wasps at fault.
28th Nov 2008 – Newcastle Falcons (A)
No uncontested scrums.
5th Dec 2008 – Edinburgh (A)
No uncontested scrums.
14th Dec 2008 – Edinburgh (H)
No uncontested scrums.
20th Dec 2008 – Saracens (H)
No uncontested scrums.
26th Dec 2008 – Sale Sharks (A)
No uncontested scrums.
4th Jan 2009 – Harlequins (H)
No uncontested scrums.
17th Jan 2009 – Leinster (H)
28th Minute – S.O’Brien on, S.Wright off.
Uncontested scrums, opposition at fault.
25th Jan 2009 – Castres (A)
61st Minute – R.Terrain on, C.Hoeft off.
Uncontested scrums, opposition at fault.
15th Feb 2009 – Leicester Tigers (H)
Uncontested scrums due to yellow card of Rob Webber. Contested scrums resumed after the sin binning.
Referee at fault.
22nd Feb 2009 – Northampton Saints (H)
No uncontested scrums.
28th Feb 2009 – Worcester Warriors (A)
No uncontested scrums.
8th Mar 2009 – London Irish (H)
63rd Minute – J.Fisher on, R.Skuse off.
Uncontested scrums, opposition at fault.
Total 24 games; 9 of which have gone to uncontested scrums. Of those 9, 6 have been down to the opposition, 2 to Wasps and 1 to a yellow card issued by the ref. Although many opposition fans will ignore these facts (everyone needs a pantomime villain) it is clear that the uncontested scrums issue is a myth, in fact it is committed more by our opposition than it is by us.
But of course, when Wasps do it, it is for cheating purposes. When anyone else does it, it’s a legitimate injury.
Wasps 21 - 16 London Irish
Considering my last home match report was vaguely upbeat about our run in, it was disappointing to see the boys go down to a last minute drop goal at Worcester. I was round about the Beaconsfield area on the train when the rain started to fall heavily and what little optimism I had for a decent game started to evaporate. Luckily by the time I arrived at Adams Park, the rain had stopped falling and the sun came out, but the winds had picked up considerably – a telling factor in today’s game.
After a very shaky start and a penalty for Geraghty in front of the posts, Wasps spent the first half playing with their backs to the wind and used it to full advantage. Voyce struck a penalty to touch almost half the length of the field and several touch finders pushed the Irish back. After a kick ahead had forced a 5m scrum on the Irish try line, Pat Barnard stepped up to the plate. Every time the scrums went together, Dermody did not bind against Pat. On the one time he did, our front row drove our scrum over the Irish try line. Irish collapsed it and a penalty try was given. The rest of the first half was a bitty affair, with numerous penalties and turnovers. As against Northampton, we are lucky Geraghty is not a top class kicker or the result could have been very different. Still 13-6 was a good lead to take into the break.
The second half was a very frustrating affair for a Wasps fan. Although we scored a try through the excellent Pat Barnard (can anyone tell me why we weren’t allowed to see the replay? Utter madness!) we persisted in kicking the ball away even though we were playing into the wind. After a decent enough first half, Cipriani went completely off the boil in the second half, sending aimless kick after aimless kick straight into the arms of the counter-attacking Irish. When Adam Thompstone stepped through Voyce’s awful attempt at a tackle for a try under the posts, Wasps held a slender 5 point lead going into the final 15 minutes. Unfortunately for my fingernails, we then decided to try a pick up and drive game in their half (giving away a penalty) and in our own half (knocking it on to give the Irish a scrum). Not the smartest when only 5 points behind, and a drop goal whilst in their half would have killed off the game. Thankfully, the defence held firm under the assault of several large South Sea Islanders, and Wasps clung on for the win.
Still, (as against Northampton) a win is a win. But we will have to be a lot lot better to get a result at Kingsholm next week. I have booked my tickets in the Shed and I will be there to cheer on the boys so onwards and (hopefully) upwards!
1 – Tim Payne 7/10 – Part of a front row that destroyed the Irish at scrum time. Put in a fair share of work in the loose also. Great game.
2 – Rob Webber 8/10 – Front row dominated, made a lot of metres with the ball in hand and line out throwing was excellent.
3 – Pat Barnard 9/10 – Fantastic game. Had Dermody in pieces from the first whistle and capped off his performance with a try. My MOTM.
4 – Simon Shaw 8/10 – Very good game. Was everywhere in open play and impeccable in defence.
5 – George Skivington 5/10 – A very quiet game by his recent standards. If I’m honest I didn’t really notice him. Congratulations on the 100th game though George.
6 – Serge Betsen © 5/10 – Did his fair share in defence but a quiet game by a player who has been hugely impressive for the last few games.
7 – Tom Rees 6/10 – For a first game back, he was very good. Made some telling contributions in the loose. Faded as the game went on.
8 – John Hart 5/10 – Quiet game, gave away a few penalties.
9 – Mark Robinson 5/10 – Was gritty and determined as usual, but (as usual) passing and kicking was poor.
10 – Danny Cipriani 5/10 – Slotted most of his kicks but again failed to spark the back line. Kicking from hand was dreadful.
11 – Tom Voyce 3/10 – As before, not much to do, and no room to run. Missed his tackle on Thompstone.
12 – Josh Lewsey 8/10 – Some surging runs and important tackles. Best player in the back line by a mile.
13 – Dominic Waldouck 7/10 – Finally starting to show some serious form. Tackles people twice his size with ease.
14 – Lachlan Mitchell 4/10 – Contributed very little. Doesn’t seem to have the pace for wing.
15 – Mark van Gisbergen 7/10 – Safe under the high ball and made some great counter attacking runs. Slowly (very slowly) but surely finding his form of a few years back.
Bench:
16 – Joe Ward
17 – Michael Holford
18 – Richard Birkett (for Barnard, 63) 5/10 – Not much time to make an impact
19 – Dan Leo
20 – Eoin Reddan (for Robinson, 43) 4/10 – Started with a zip but service slowed to a halt after a while. Poor.
21 – Dave Walder
22 – Rob Hoadley
Note - Match report and player ratings are from my view at the game today only, I haven't seen a replay or any highlights.
Considering today’s game went to uncontested scrums I thought I’d start this week’s match report by having a look at the uncontested scrum phenomenon that (apparently) plagues Wasps. Last season Wasps went to uncontested scrums in both the GP final and the GP semi final, both games live on Sky. Early this season, both Pat Barnard and Phil Vickery were forced to leave the field at Welford Road. Another game live on Sky, with footage of the Tigers’ fans chanting ‘cheat cheat cheat’ for everyone to see. Ever since then, opposition fans have appeared on our board accusing our team of cheating in the scrums ad infinitum.
Forgetting the games at the tail end of last season (as I would have to look at all the games from last season as well) I have looked at each game Wasps have played this season and whether they went to uncontested scrums. These are the results:
6th Sept 2008 - London Irish (A) –
75th Minute – J.Buckland on, A.Corbisiero off.
Uncontested scrums, opposition at fault.
14th Sept 2008 – Worcester Warriors (H)
No uncontested scrums.
20th Sept 2008 – Northampton Saints (A)
No uncontested scrums.
26th Sept 2008 – Leicester Tigers (A)
58th Minute – D.Varley on, P.Barnard off.
Uncontested scrums, Wasps at fault.
1st Oct 2008 – Bath Rugby (H)
No uncontested scrums.
4th Oct 2008 – Gloucester (A)
No uncontested scrums.
12th Oct 2008 – Castres (H)
No uncontested scrums.
18th Oct 2008 – Leinster (A)
74th Minute – J.Fogarty on, S.Wright off.
Uncontested scrums, opposition at fault.
24th Oct 2008 – Newcastle (A)
No uncontested scrums.
2nd Nov 2008 – Newport Gwent Dragons (H)
67th Minute – D.Lydiate on, A.Murphy off.
Uncontested scrums, opposition at fault.
16th Nov 2008 – Harlequins (A)
No uncontested scrums.
23rd Nov 2008 – Sale Sharks (H)
74th Minute – D.Varley on, M.Holford off.
Uncontested scrums, Wasps at fault.
28th Nov 2008 – Newcastle Falcons (A)
No uncontested scrums.
5th Dec 2008 – Edinburgh (A)
No uncontested scrums.
14th Dec 2008 – Edinburgh (H)
No uncontested scrums.
20th Dec 2008 – Saracens (H)
No uncontested scrums.
26th Dec 2008 – Sale Sharks (A)
No uncontested scrums.
4th Jan 2009 – Harlequins (H)
No uncontested scrums.
17th Jan 2009 – Leinster (H)
28th Minute – S.O’Brien on, S.Wright off.
Uncontested scrums, opposition at fault.
25th Jan 2009 – Castres (A)
61st Minute – R.Terrain on, C.Hoeft off.
Uncontested scrums, opposition at fault.
15th Feb 2009 – Leicester Tigers (H)
Uncontested scrums due to yellow card of Rob Webber. Contested scrums resumed after the sin binning.
Referee at fault.
22nd Feb 2009 – Northampton Saints (H)
No uncontested scrums.
28th Feb 2009 – Worcester Warriors (A)
No uncontested scrums.
8th Mar 2009 – London Irish (H)
63rd Minute – J.Fisher on, R.Skuse off.
Uncontested scrums, opposition at fault.
Total 24 games; 9 of which have gone to uncontested scrums. Of those 9, 6 have been down to the opposition, 2 to Wasps and 1 to a yellow card issued by the ref. Although many opposition fans will ignore these facts (everyone needs a pantomime villain) it is clear that the uncontested scrums issue is a myth, in fact it is committed more by our opposition than it is by us.
But of course, when Wasps do it, it is for cheating purposes. When anyone else does it, it’s a legitimate injury.
Wasps 21 - 16 London Irish
Considering my last home match report was vaguely upbeat about our run in, it was disappointing to see the boys go down to a last minute drop goal at Worcester. I was round about the Beaconsfield area on the train when the rain started to fall heavily and what little optimism I had for a decent game started to evaporate. Luckily by the time I arrived at Adams Park, the rain had stopped falling and the sun came out, but the winds had picked up considerably – a telling factor in today’s game.
After a very shaky start and a penalty for Geraghty in front of the posts, Wasps spent the first half playing with their backs to the wind and used it to full advantage. Voyce struck a penalty to touch almost half the length of the field and several touch finders pushed the Irish back. After a kick ahead had forced a 5m scrum on the Irish try line, Pat Barnard stepped up to the plate. Every time the scrums went together, Dermody did not bind against Pat. On the one time he did, our front row drove our scrum over the Irish try line. Irish collapsed it and a penalty try was given. The rest of the first half was a bitty affair, with numerous penalties and turnovers. As against Northampton, we are lucky Geraghty is not a top class kicker or the result could have been very different. Still 13-6 was a good lead to take into the break.
The second half was a very frustrating affair for a Wasps fan. Although we scored a try through the excellent Pat Barnard (can anyone tell me why we weren’t allowed to see the replay? Utter madness!) we persisted in kicking the ball away even though we were playing into the wind. After a decent enough first half, Cipriani went completely off the boil in the second half, sending aimless kick after aimless kick straight into the arms of the counter-attacking Irish. When Adam Thompstone stepped through Voyce’s awful attempt at a tackle for a try under the posts, Wasps held a slender 5 point lead going into the final 15 minutes. Unfortunately for my fingernails, we then decided to try a pick up and drive game in their half (giving away a penalty) and in our own half (knocking it on to give the Irish a scrum). Not the smartest when only 5 points behind, and a drop goal whilst in their half would have killed off the game. Thankfully, the defence held firm under the assault of several large South Sea Islanders, and Wasps clung on for the win.
Still, (as against Northampton) a win is a win. But we will have to be a lot lot better to get a result at Kingsholm next week. I have booked my tickets in the Shed and I will be there to cheer on the boys so onwards and (hopefully) upwards!
1 – Tim Payne 7/10 – Part of a front row that destroyed the Irish at scrum time. Put in a fair share of work in the loose also. Great game.
2 – Rob Webber 8/10 – Front row dominated, made a lot of metres with the ball in hand and line out throwing was excellent.
3 – Pat Barnard 9/10 – Fantastic game. Had Dermody in pieces from the first whistle and capped off his performance with a try. My MOTM.
4 – Simon Shaw 8/10 – Very good game. Was everywhere in open play and impeccable in defence.
5 – George Skivington 5/10 – A very quiet game by his recent standards. If I’m honest I didn’t really notice him. Congratulations on the 100th game though George.
6 – Serge Betsen © 5/10 – Did his fair share in defence but a quiet game by a player who has been hugely impressive for the last few games.
7 – Tom Rees 6/10 – For a first game back, he was very good. Made some telling contributions in the loose. Faded as the game went on.
8 – John Hart 5/10 – Quiet game, gave away a few penalties.
9 – Mark Robinson 5/10 – Was gritty and determined as usual, but (as usual) passing and kicking was poor.
10 – Danny Cipriani 5/10 – Slotted most of his kicks but again failed to spark the back line. Kicking from hand was dreadful.
11 – Tom Voyce 3/10 – As before, not much to do, and no room to run. Missed his tackle on Thompstone.
12 – Josh Lewsey 8/10 – Some surging runs and important tackles. Best player in the back line by a mile.
13 – Dominic Waldouck 7/10 – Finally starting to show some serious form. Tackles people twice his size with ease.
14 – Lachlan Mitchell 4/10 – Contributed very little. Doesn’t seem to have the pace for wing.
15 – Mark van Gisbergen 7/10 – Safe under the high ball and made some great counter attacking runs. Slowly (very slowly) but surely finding his form of a few years back.
Bench:
16 – Joe Ward
17 – Michael Holford
18 – Richard Birkett (for Barnard, 63) 5/10 – Not much time to make an impact
19 – Dan Leo
20 – Eoin Reddan (for Robinson, 43) 4/10 – Started with a zip but service slowed to a halt after a while. Poor.
21 – Dave Walder
22 – Rob Hoadley
Note - Match report and player ratings are from my view at the game today only, I haven't seen a replay or any highlights.
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