NO H CUP NEXT SEASON

By Vespasian
April 22 2013

London Wasps rounded off their home Aviva Premiership campaign with a lacklustre performance, going down limply to an Exeter Chiefs team on the up. For the hosts it was a bleak seventh straight loss, more redolent of last season. 

Yet, for Wasps, this season had been a sea change of improvement over the wreckage of the previous one, before falling off a cliff and on to the beach at the business end. If the 2012 vintage was like vinegar, this year's turned into a corked Beaujolais, with hints of renewed vim and vigour but spoiled, nevertheless, by a lack of maturity and character. It was hardly a premier cru.

There were some high points. November was unusually productive! The champions (who shall remain nameless) were beaten away during the Six Nations, and we came withoin a gnat's knackers of doing the double over them! And Dai's younguns continued improvement meant more tight games were won than lost.

But the defining moments of the season fell as flat as England's slam trip across the Bristol channel. The loss of seven games in a row (with a dead rubber to come), many by some distance, is just not acceptable.

The team's performance against the Chiefs encapsulated the past two months. When the ball fizzes wide, Wasps are the match of many a team. But, more often than not, when drawn into a dogfight our paper thin defence is often as responsive as the economy.

The pity is that Wasps could not bring Steve Jones's knowledge fully to fruition before his retirement. At least he will be around as a coach next season. One player who won't be at Wasps is hooker, Rhys Thomas who returns to Wales. He is a quality player who led by example.

Barnet-bound and barnet-light Billy Vunipola rumbles off for an Allianz dalliance leaving a taste of what might have been, as well as memories of a rash of penalties yielded in front of our posts in youthful exuberance.

Young was right when he said after the defeat to Exeter: "If I was totally honest, it would have been great to be in the top six but I would be concerned because I don't think we're ready for Heineken Cup rugby.

"The last home game last season, we were playing Newcastle to stay in this league and we have made strides this season but there's still work to be done.

"Come February, we had put ourselves in a pretty good position and I was accused of dampening expectations - but I was being realistic. It was evident that defensive lapses, people struggling to get into position and not making first-up tackles cost us.

"Credit to Exeter, they are a good side but they didn't bring anything we didn't expect. I felt today that a lot of senior players fell off a lot of tackles which you would expect them to make."

At least London Wasps is now on a more even keel, since Derek Richardson was revealed as the new owner. The London-based Irish businessman is formulating a five-year strategic plan which should dove-tail with that of Dai Young, Wasps' Director of Rugby. Let's see what next season brings. Changes are afoot.