With the furore over the British and Irish Lions squad, omissions and inclusions alike, beginning to simmer down, we decided to take a more forensic look at why two of the top clubs in the northern hemisphere have been given short shrift by head coach Warren Gatland.
With just one round remaining, Wasps and Exeter Chiefs currently occupy first and second spots respectively in the Premiership, but only provide two of the 41 players selected to tour New Zealand, with sides that have struggled to show such consistency, such as Bath and Ulster, accounting for more inclusions individually than Wasps and Exeter combined.
Versatile backs Jack Nowell and Elliot Daly both made the cut and though the Exeter squad’s lack of international experience make their omissions a little more understandable, the overlooking of Joe Launchbury and James Haskell were far more contentious decisions.
It’s not just the Lions who have snubbed the two clubs, either, with a vastly depleted England touring squad also ignoring a number of standout performers at the table-topping clubs.
Wasps’ quintet of Tommy Taylor, Dan Robson, Joe Simpson, Danny Cipriani and Christian Wade all failed to make the cut, despite being mooted by many as certainties to tour, whilst Exeter’s Dave Ewers, Don Armand and Ollie Devoto were all similarly ignored.
So, why is it that two such effective teams, full of in-form players, have seen so many of their charges snubbed?
It is fair to say Launchbury’s Lions exclusion went down like a lead balloon, with Wasps’ own official Twitter account claiming they were “gobsmacked” at his omission and cited his nomination as player of the Six Nations, as well as two Man of the Match awards, as the reasons behind their surprise.
All gobsmacked here that Joe Launchbury wont be with @lionsofficial. 2 motm's in a 6 Nations winning campaign & player of the comp nominee
— Wasps (@WaspsRugby) April 19, 2017
There is certainly no doubting Launchbury’s form during the championship – and the rest of the season – but there is no lack of talent for the Lions in the second row. The trio of Maro Itoje, George Kruis and Alun Wyn Jones picked themselves, whilst Courtney Lawes’ form was every bit as impressive as Launchbury’s this season and it is likely that the disruption he can cause with his defence and lineout work was enough to swing the selection vote in his favour.
An argument could be made that Launchbury has been in more eye-catching form than Iain Henderson, but the Irishman brings an enviable dynamism to the mix and warrants his selection based on the balance he will help bring alongside the other locks. The ability of Lawes and Henderson to also cover the blindside would certainly have worked in their favour, too.
Something that will have hurt Launchbury, as well as Wasps’ cadre of players ignored by England, has been their club’s porous defence this season. Their 59 conceded tries are the most of any team in the top seven of the Premiership and though they do often still outscore their opponents, it is seen as a flaw that will only be magnified at the Test level.
Lee Blackett has had a marked effect since taking over as backs coach, helping Wasps develop a cutting edge that few teams can match, but it has been a very different story for defence coach Phil Blake in his debut campaign with the club. In addition to conceding the most tries in the top seven of the Premiership, their points conceded tally is only surpassed by Harlequins.
England head coach Eddie Jones has been vocal in his desire for players to improve defensively or miss out on selection – most notably Semesa Rokoduguni – whilst nothing in Gatland’s career suggests he is going to go to New Zealand, throw the defensive gameplan out of the window and tell the Lions to give it a lash. Both coaches build their teams from a foundation of strong defence and that hurts Wasps and, to a lesser extent, Exeter.
Exeter’s defensive record isn’t quite as bad as Wasps, but it is still the worst in the top five of the Premiership, in both tries and points conceded, once you have taken Wasps out of the equation.
That defensive fragility cost Wasps in their Champions Cup quarter-final with Leinster and, rightly or wrongly, will have raised many questions in the minds of Gatland and Jones as to whether or not those Wasps players will perform in a similar vein in New Zealand and Argentina.
Given that Leinster tightened up at the set-piece, put in an effective defensive shift and ultimately turned in a very Test-like performance, it is hard to argue that there isn’t merit in drawing those conclusions.
Similarly, Exeter have been caught defensively napping at times this season with the new, more flowing brand of rugby that they have been trying to encourage. It’s been a learning process for the Chiefs, who were so reliant on their driving lineout last season, and whilst the progress made is impressive and will stand them in good stead for the future, it clearly hasn’t been without its growing pains.
For all the improvements Wasps and Exeter have made as attacking forces this season, is anyone picking them as favourites to overcome Saracens and lift the Premiership title? Saracens, just like Leinster, bring that ability to tighten up and outlast teams, efficiently punishing them when opportunities arise and playing in a relatively risk-free, territorial-based style.
Just last week, Wasps were comprehensively beaten by a Harlequins team that has struggled for consistency all season, but with the Londoners competing effectively at the set-piece and defending resolutely against Wasps’ early offensive forays, they were then able to pick apart the West Midlands side as they grew more desperate later in the game.
It is not that Wasps or Exeter are bad teams – the league table rarely lies – but they are sides that beat teams with their Plan A and when an opponent comes up with a way of countering that Plan A, there often isn’t a Plan B to resort to, or if there is, the players aren’t as comfortable executing it.
This is little less true of Exeter, who are becoming a more multi-faceted side, capable of beating opponents in multiple ways, but when you strip away the chemistry both teams have among their own players when they are attacking with ball-in-hand, something they will not have in an international set-up, some of the shine comes off.
When you reduce the players to individual skill sets, defensive awareness and communication, game management and the balance they will bring with other members of the squad, the playing field suddenly becomes a lot more level, despite the two clubs’ lofty positions in the league table.
After all, these are the criteria that Gatland and Jones select on, rather than players’ ability to score points when playing in a team full of their own clubmates and with whom they train most days of the year.
Again, Blackett and his Exeter counterpart, Ali Hepher, should be credited for having developed such a proclivity for scoring tries in their sides and that ability to outscore opponents is great in the regular season of a club competition. It energises fans, the backs love it and it makes for a great spectacle.
That said, it is not necessarily a formula for international recognition. Wasps and Leicester used to dominate England selections based on their players’ strengths with defensive and forward-play fundamentals, whilst the more free-flowing attacks of, say Gloucester or Harlequins, struggled for opportunities.
Both teams will be in the upcoming Premiership play-offs and that will be an acid test for the clubs, where historically even the most potent attacks can struggle if they cannot back up their endeavour with disciplined defence and solid game management.
No one needs to tell Wasps this. They were the archvillain of the 2000’s, swooping in with their defensive juggernaut to steal the glory at the final hurdle, but if they want their players to regularly feature for the Lions and England, these are the kind of pivotal games they need to win and show the likes of Gatland and Jones that their way of doing things can succeed in the big games.
The likes of Saracens and Leinster have laid down a blueprint for how to win trophies and ensure their players thrive in Test rugby, but Wasps and Exeter have been spearheading a different approach this season. This is their time to show it can be just as a successful. If they can do that, international recognition will follow.
I, for now, remain a sceptic.
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