An early (before team annoncements) preview-Wasps

Them
By T
December 1 2006

Ahhhh, Friday the 1st of December… The start of the party season. The month where it is acceptable to drink mulled wine, and Brussels sprouts make their seasonal appearance on dinner plates.

It’s also the season of dead rubbers and ridiculous kick off times courtesy of the EDF cup…

Last weekend Wasps lost to an Ian Humphreys inspired Leicester side, while Saracens were like a wet rabbit caught in the headlights of a Juggernaught against Worc… Not that form makes the blindest bit of difference to this Friday’s game where both sides are likely to be resting most of their players in what looks like it could be little more than a glorified A team game.

Now I like Monday night A team games down at OA’s, the small friendly club atmosphere, the BBQ and Bar where queues are small and the service good. You can mingle with players and keep your eye on some of the young up and coming players and all for £5. Besides what else is there to do on a Monday? However you switch the game to a Friday night at Vicarage Road, charge £25 for the pleasure and all of a sudden the appeal drops right off…

With Faz, TC, Cobus, Ongaro plus Dallaglio, O’Conner and Shaw all set to play for the World XV on the Sunday against South Africa there will be wholesale changes to both sides. If Diamond was still around you could probably guarantee to see the shambles of Sarries lineout taking to the field again as some sort of punishment for the Worcester game! The Gaffer is an altogether different type of boss and will probably rest some of the key players before the forthcoming European games.
Expect the older heads of Yatesy, Raiwalui, Chesney to have well deserved rests while Jackson and De Kock will be wrapped in cotton wool and placed safely in a cupboard until Parma.

It’s expected that Richard Hill could make his first appearance this season, which, while pleasing, is possibly not going to get many people to part with their entrance money alone. Exciting youngsters James Tirrel & Noah Cato might well get a chance to make their first team debuts, while existing squad members who have seen little game time will be keen to stake their claim for a First XV squad place. Such is the strength in depth that Sarries now have, the likes of Russell, Powell, Lloyd & De Vedia are all desperate for game time. These players not only bring their experience to the side but might well see this as a chance to show management what they have been missing.

So your guess is as good as mine as far as the team line up goes! If anyone gets anywhere near ½ points for the dream team selection can they please post what they think Saturdays lottery numbers might be on the message board!

Apparently Friday is an ‘emergency service day’ no doubt a reasonably impressive bit of marketing to try and get a few more through the gate on a wet cold Friday evening. The other positive bit of news is that nearly 50% of the crowd will be qualified to administer the kiss of life to our lineout should it die as horribly as last Sunday, unfortunately I think the EDF cup as it is structured is a lost cause…

I know it’s not the competition’s fault that this is a dead rubber, that comes courtesy of defeats to Cardiff and Irish. But is there a more apt ending to our participation in the EDF cup - a competition we’re quite happy to take the money for, charge the season ticket holders for, but treat as a joke. - than a game played in the rain on a Friday night between two ‘A’ sides with the smallest crowd of the season in attendance, where no one is really bothered about the result?