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Sam Jones believes Wasps have got their season back on track at just the right time as they prepare to travel to face European Rugby Champions Cup holders Toulon for a key Pool 5 clash this weekend. - 13/01/2016 15:01
Sam Jones believes Wasps have got their season back on track at just the right time as they prepare to travel to face European Rugby Champions Cup holders Toulon for a key Pool 5 clash this weekend.
Dai Young’s men made a hugely impressive start to the campaign, convincingly beating Leinster in Dublin and Toulon at the Ricoh Arena.
They have since shared a win apiece in a December double-header with Aviva Premiership rivals Bath to sit top of the standings with just two rounds of fixtures to go.
However, they stumbled over the festive period with a sequence of just one win in five games, and that looked set to continue when they trailed to Worcester last weekend.
But a late three-try rally secured a confidence boosting win before the trip to Stade Felix Mayol, which will go a long way to deciding the pool winner.
“The win over Worcester has helped no end,” said flanker Jones. Pressure has been building with results and we were quite desperate at times, but we kept going and it is pleasing to get the win going back into Europe.
“We have been making things hard for ourselves in recent games, but we want to be the ones causing problems for the other side and we showed signs against Worcester that we are returning to doing that.
“Momentum is key and the next two games are huge in the context of our season. We want to make the Ricoh a fortress and this result helps us and to have a good performance was also a boost.”
Wasps may be top of the table but Jones’ fellow back-rower Guy Thompson believes the visitors will start as firm underdogs in France, despite that impressive win over Toulon at home.
“Not many people are talking about us going to the home of the European champions and coming home with a win,” he said. “But we are always confident in our ability and this team has so much talent and we are finding out how we play as a group. We can be at our best when we are underdogs and we are definitely not favourites this weekend.”
Match Facts
- Wasps have won only four of 12 pool stage fixtures against French teams away from home, though they’ll be looking for consecutive such victories after a 32-17 triumph against Castres in 2014.
- Against sides from all nations Wasps have won their last four away games in the pool stages of the Champions Cup, their best run since winning six on the spin between 1996 and 1999.
- Wasps scored four tries when they hosted Toulon earlier in this campaign, despite making fewer carries (93) and beating fewer defenders (15) than in any other game this season.
- Matt Mullan is yet to miss a tackle in the Champions Cup this season (43/43), no player has made more tackles without missing at least one so far.
Grâce à un essai de Drew Mitchell dans les arrêts de jeu
Drew Mitchell’s injury-time try denied Wasps an historic win over European champions Toulon and inched them closer to the Champions Cup quarter-finals.
The former Wallaby crossed to salvage a dramatic win for the three-time Champions Cup winners and extend Toulon’s 17-game unbeaten run at Stade Felix Mayol. Guy Thompson looked to have given Wasps the victory that would have clinched a quarter-finals spot with a try ten minutes from time.
But Jimmy Gopperth missed the conversion and Toulon mustered a final attack as time ran out. The result saw Toulon take over at the top of Pool 5 and they can win the pool with a bonus-point win at Bath next weekend when Wasps welcome Leinster at the Ricoh Arena.
Wasps stunned the holders with a remarkable 32-6 win in Coventry in November but were without key forwards Joe Launchbury, James Haskell and Nathan Hughes through injury. Toulon re-called Steffon Armitage after sitting out the scrappy win over Bath last week and the English flanker immediately lit up this tie.
His barnstorming break through black and gold jerseys brought Stade Felix Mayol to life and only the combined efforts of Joe Simpson and Charles Piutau denied Bryan Habana an early score. Habana’s interception sparked a counter-attack that ended with Cooper scoring the game’s first try on 13 minutes. Ma’a Nonu released Josua Tuisova who made plenty of yards before handing the scoring pass inside to Cooper. However scrum-half Eric Escande was wide with his conversion.
Elliot Daly fared little better with a long-range penalty. Wasps were then reduced to 14 men when George Smith was shown a yellow card by World Cup Final referee Nigel Owens for a late tackle on Habana and Escande kicked Toulon 8-0 ahead.
Wasps managed to claim back three points through Gopperth before half-time and their defence was to prove heroic at times in the second half. Cooper missed with a drop goal from in front of the posts as Toulon were frustrated in attack.
Daly missed a second from distance though replacement Frederic Michalak was also off-key with the boot missing twice. Meanwhile Gopperth converted a second penalty to cut the lead to two points on 63 minutes.
But a shock looked on the cards when Daly used his pace to beat the cover defence and Thompson barged his way over for Wasps’ only try on 70 minutes.
Gopperth pushed his conversion wide and Wasps’ lead was 11-8. They looked set to hold on amid more stubborn defending that appeared to frustrate Toulon. But the holders showed their class late on as Mitchell raced onto Ma’a Nonu’s pass to score the match-winner in the 81st minute.
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