Young lauds ‘sensible’ Wasps

Editor

Wasps director of rugby Dai Young praised his side's maturity in their decision making as they picked up a 24-18 win at Bath on Saturday.

Tries from Frank Halai (2) and Simon McIntyre plus the boots of Elliot Daly, Ruaridh Jackson and Jimmy Gopperth saw Wasps to the points.

And Young was pleased with his side's control and their determination to back up last weekend's win at Saracens, as the men in black and gold continued to build momentum in the Premiership.

"The most pleasing aspect for me was that we were sensible as well. We took the opportunities when they were there, as in opportunities to run when it was on but also making good decisions when it wasn’t, playing for field position," he told the Wasps website.

"We were never more than 10 or 11 points clear and when you look across at the team they’ve got, you know they are always capable of coming back. So, although I felt we were in control, I never felt comfortable or that we were out of sight.

"I don’t think we could expect the same type of rugby today as last week, in very different and difficult conditions, but we have to be pleased with how we played and how we controlled things."

He added: "There’s still room for improvement – at times in the first half we were a bit loose, we spilled too many balls and lacked the composure to go the extra phase by pushing the pass.

"We had a lot of territory but played too much around the half way line. We struggled to break Bath down as their line-speed was impressive, they won a lot of collisions and we found it hard to get much penetration.

"We talked at half time about keeping playing and we had the wind which made things a bit easier for us and we created chances."

Five consecutive wins have moved Wasps into the top three for the first time this season, but with nine matches remaining Young is keeping his feet firmly on the ground.

"We’ve had two good wins and gone from ninth to third and what I’ve said to the players is two defeats will take us from third back to ninth just as quickly," he said.

"Obviously we’ve got momentum and we’ve got a bit of belief and confidence within the squad which is good.  What we’ve got to do now is keep winning to keep the momentum going and although a lot of people are talking about top four, we’ll only do that in the last month if we’ve got a chance of being there.

"Our target for the season is to be a consistent top six team, as we have only been there once in seven or eight years.

"We want to be at the top table in Europe, so the target is top six, but if we can get to the last month of the season with a chance, we will give it a real crack."