CHRIS FOY: Elliot Daly believes Wasps have acquired the confidence they need after finishing top of the Aviva Premiership table. Wasps defeated Saracens 35-15 at the Ricoh Arena.
Elliot Daly believes Wasps have acquired the confidence they need after finishing top of the Aviva Premiership table.
The England back scored the decisive, bonus-point try which dispatched under-strength Saracens 35-15 at the Ricoh Arena on Saturday and ensured his club earned a home play-off for the first time.
‘The confidence isn’t something we’re used to, ‘ Daly said. ‘Since I have been here, we have gone into the big games, away from home especially, thinking we probably weren’t going to win. But the confidence around the group at the minute is massive. We are taking everything in our stride.
‘There are not many people in our team who have been in knock-out rugby. You have the wise international heads, but the people who have been at Wasps all their career have not been in semi-finals and finals. We really want to push towards that now.
‘To win a big game in front of a home crowd, get that home semi-final and finish top of the table, which I don’t think Wasps have done in their history, is massive for the club.’
A play-off semi-final with near-neighbours Leicester will be no easy task. ‘Leicester have come here with thousands in the crowd and really played well against us in recent times, ‘ Daly said. ‘Last season, they came here, bullied us up front and we lost that game. We know how much of a threat they are.’
Having beaten Worcester on Saturday to clinch the final play-off place, Leicester’s new head coach Matt O’Connor, was bullish about their prospects, despite being well aware of what they are up against.
‘I’m pleased that we don’t have to go to Saracens but Wasps are a fantastic side, ‘ said the Australian. ‘If you blink, they’ll score. We competed very well there in the league earlier in the season.
‘We have the belief that if we are at our best, we can win, but if you don’t tackle against Wasps, you don’t win. There are a couple of examples of teams shutting them out with massive defensive efforts and that’s what it is going to take. They have got two good nines, (Jimmy) Gopperth, Daly, (Christian) Wade, (Kurtley) Beale — blokes who can score in their sleep, so we are going to have to be really good.’
Saracens accepted the fact that their decision to rest several leading lights ahead of the Champions Cup final on Saturday means that they face the onerous task of going to Exeter, who have thundered into the play-offs with momentum.
Rob Baxter’s side swept past Gloucester at Kingsholm to register their ninth consecutive four-try bonus point.
The Chiefs were well beaten by Saracens in the Twickenham showpiece last year but Baxter said: ‘We’re automatically better prepared because we’ve been there before as a group.
‘However you win this thing, you are going to have to knock over some great teams.
‘Everyone knows how good Saracens are. We could potentially be playing the best team in Europe in a home semi-final. I’m really pleased we’ve got two weeks to prepare for it.’
At Franklin’s Gardens, Harlequins hung on for a losing bonus point against Northampton, which meant they pipped the home side for the last automatic place in next season’s Champions Cup.
The Saints must now wait to discover if they will go into a qualification play-off to reach Europe’s top tournament. They will miss out if Gloucester win the Challenge Cup on Friday night.
