WASPS

Director of Rugby: Dai Young

Captain: Joe Launchbury

Ground: Ricoh Arena

Capacity: 32,609

This summer’s big spenders will be looking for a return on their investment in trophies.

With All Black fly-half Lima Sopoaga and blindside Brad Shields arriving at the Ricoh alongside former Red Rose Test tighthead Kieran Brookes, the heat is on for Wasps to discard their ‘nearly men’ reputation.

The biggest impediment so far has been a front five with fault-lines which have widened into huge cracks during high-pressure semi-finals and finals.

If Brookes and Jake Cooper-Woolley can make the right-hand side of the Wasps scrum rock solid they could have the launchpad to the success that so far has eluded them during Dai Young’s tenure.

Although Danny Cipriani has taken his wrists of ‘pure gold’ to Gloucester, Sopoaga has the class to get on the same wavelength as match-winners like Elliot Daly, Christian Wade and Willie Le Roux.

This Wasps generation has to unearth an implacable desire to be first, and long service men like Joe Launchbury and Thomas Young must hammer home that message.

No one can match Wasps for flair, but when it comes to conviction they come up short. That must change.

INS AND OUTS

IN: Brad Shields (Hurricanes), Lima Sopoaga (Highlanders), Joe Atkinson (London Scottish), Ross Neal (London Scottish), Michael Le Bourgeois (Bedford Blues), Ben Morris (Nottingham), Billy Searle (Bristol Bears), Ambrose Curtis (Manawatu), Charlie Matthews (Harlequins), Tom West (promoted Academy), Will Stuart (promoted Academy), Nizaam Carr (Stormers), Kieran Brookes (Northampton Saints), Zurab Zhvania (Stade Francais)

OUT: Marty Moore (Ulster), Guy Thompson (Leicester Tigers), Sam Jones (retired), Guy Armitage (Ealing Trailfinders), Will Owen (Nottingham), Danny Cipriani (Gloucester), James Haskell (Northampton Saints), Matt Symons (Harlequins), Alex Lundberg (Ealing Trailfinders), Paul Doran-Jones (released), Kyle Eastmond (released), Brendan Macken (released)

2018-19 FIXTURES

Sat 1 Sep (a) Worcester

Sat 8 Sep (h) Exeter

Sun 16 Sep (h) Leicester

Sat 22 Sep (a) Sale

Fri 28 Sep (a) Newcastle

Sat 6 Oct (h) Gloucester

Sat 17 Nov (a) Northampton

Sat 24 Nov (h) Bristol

Sat 1 Dec (a) Saracens

Sat 22 Dec (h) Bath

Sat 29 Dec (a) Harlequins

Sat 5 Jan (h) Northampton

Sat 16 Feb (a) Bristol

Sat 23 Feb (h) Sale

Sat 2 Mar (a) Leicester

Sat 9 Mar (h) Newcastle

Sat 23 Mar (a) Gloucester

Sat 6 Apr (h) Worcester

Sat 13 Apr (a) Exeter

Sat 27 Apr (h) Saracens

Sat 4 May (a) Bath

Sat 18 May (h) Harlequins

PLAYER TO WATCH

BRAD SHIELDS – BLINDSIDE FLANKER

The England-qualified Kiwi blindside did not have ideal conditions in which to make his Test debut in South Africa, and now he has to put his marker down for his new club in a big way. If not, Wasps fans are going to ask why Haskell and Thompson moved on.

2018-19 SQUAD

Tom Cruse, Antonio Harris, Ashley Johnson, Tommy Taylor, Kieran Brookes, Jake Cooper-Woolley, Ben Harris, Simon McIntyre, Matt Mullan, Will Stuart, Tom West, Zurab Zhvania, Marcus Garratt, James Gaskell, Joe Launchbury, Charlie Matthews, Kearnan Myall, Will Rowlands, Joe Atkinson, Ben Morris, Alex Rieder, Brad Shields, Jack Willis, Thomas Young, Nizaam Carr, Nathan Hughes, Craig Hampson, Dan Robson, Joe Simpson, Jimmy Gopperth, Billy Searle, Lima Sopoaga, Elliot Daly, Juan de Jongh, Michael Le Bourgeois, Gabiriele Lovobalavu, Ross Neal, Josh Bassett, Ambrose Curtis, Christian Wade, Marcus Watson, Willie le Roux, Rob Miller

VERDICT: 2nd (LAST SEASON: 3rd)