Willie Le Roux is an exceptional rugby player of skills that stand out and make the game exciting.He can be a game breaker and match winner. This is a talent that can be nutured and used correctly with a correct game plan and by coaching that knows how to use him and give him full initiative and reigns to play his best. He obviously has found his mojo under the Wasps coaches.
It is also a fact that HM used him and believed in him too but although HM was not a bad coach and is streaks ahead of that clueless and directionless clown AC, it is probable and likely that you must look to the coaching, game plans at Wasps to find the real answer to Willie's rebirth.
Wasps to expand coaching team for 2018/19 season
Wasps are pleased to announce they will expand their
coaching team next season, with current Cardiff Blues head coach Danny
Wilson and Nottingham Rugby head coach Ian Costello set to arrive in
Coventry during pre-season to complement the coaching talent already in
place.
Wilson’s main role will concentrate on the forwards and
Costello’s primary focus will be on skills development and exits, whilst
also supporting the wider team to help achieve the rugby department’s
goals.
The pair will bring additional expertise and depth to Dai
Young’s coaching group, which for the last two seasons has been one of
the smallest in the Aviva Premiership, comprising Young, Lee Blackett,
Phil Blake and Andy Titterrell.
Wilson will arrive with plenty of
experience having also impressed in coaching roles at Bristol,
Scarlets, the Dragons and Wales under 20’s, before going on to take
charge of Cardiff Blues in 2015.
Costello is currently in his
second season as head coach of Nottingham Rugby. During his tenure,
Nottingham’s young side have climbed from a ninth-place finish last
season to the top four in the current Championship standings.
Prior
to taking that role, the former centre worked with Munster Academy
& 20s until 2011, and then spent the next five years coaching
Munster’s senior team, initially as skills coach and then as assistant
coach for the final two years.
Wasps’ director of rugby Dai Young
is pleased with these additional backroom appointments, which he
believes will help to keep the club moving forward.
“We have operated with a smaller coaching team than most clubs for a while now,” Young says.
“The
plan was always to bolster it, as we already have our S&C team, but
I have taken my time to make sure I bring in the right people who
really add to what we’re doing and complement the quality we already
have within our coaching department.
“I couldn’t find the right
fit last season, but I’m pleased to have found people that I believe
can really benefit the whole team next season.
“While it’s
important not to be overloaded with coaches because too many voices can
cause confusion for players, I recognise if we continue trying to
compete at the top with only three coaches on board, we will come
unstuck. I have a clear vision of how I want us to play the game, and
the current coaching group and the two new coaches will continue to
support and help me deliver that.
“While I have only worked with
Danny for a limited time when he was part of the Academy set-up at
Cardiff Blues, I know he has gone on to forge a very strong reputation
as a quality coach who is highly regarded within the game, having made a
big impact with the teams he’s worked with.
“Equally with Ian,
everyone I know who worked with him at Munster, and also as part of our
loan arrangement with Nottingham Rugby, can’t speak highly enough of his
rugby knowledge and attention to detail.
“Our existing coaches
have done an excellent job and I’m really pleased with how quickly our
young coaches, Lee [Blackett] and Andy [Titterrell] are developing in
their first Premiership coaching roles. They are already very talented
coaches who have achieved a significant amount with us, and I have no
doubt they will only get better and better with each passing season as
they build experience.
“Lee, Andy and Phil all played a big role
in helping the squad top the league last season and reach the
Premiership Final for first time in nine years.
“With the
professional game as it is now with previews, post-match reviews, player
development and performance to consider, we are too thinly spread and
there’s simply too much for three coaches to continue doing on a
long-term basis.
“Games are won by very small margins and I need
to make sure our attention to detail is second to none. I feel these
appointments will really help us, and will put the players in the best
possible position to move their games onto the next level. We look
forward to welcoming Danny and Ian to the club next season.”
Speaking about his appointment as forwards coach at Wasps’ next season, Danny Wilson said:
“The
opportunity to work with Dai [Young] was one of the big attractions of
moving to Wasps. He is a very experienced director of rugby and I could
see the quality of his coaching during his time at Cardiff Blues. His
record with Wasps goes before him, having taken the squad from 11th place to the Premiership Final during his time at the club.
“They
only just lost out on the title last season and you can see what a
fantastic squad Dai is building through excellent recruitment and
retention of quality players. I’m looking forward to learning from him
as a coach next season and to being part of the infrastructure Wasps are
creating.
“The ambition of the club is clear to see. They have a
talented group of players who play a really exciting style of rugby
that attracts big crowds. It will be exciting to be part of. Until then,
I will be doing everything I can to help Cardiff Blues achieve our
goals for the remainder of this season.”
Speaking about his time with Nottingham and his decision to move to Wasps, Ian Costello said:
“The
last eighteen months at Nottingham Rugby have been an incredible
experience and right up there as the most enjoyable period of my career
to date. Nottingham is a special club made up of exceptional people and
I couldn’t speak highly enough of the support my family and I have
received on and off the pitch.
“I am extremely excited about
moving to Wasps next season and the new set of challenges it will bring.
Having worked for Munster for five years and looked at certain English
clubs in the European Champions Cup, Wasps was a club with such a rich
history and tradition and I always had a huge amount of respect for them
growing up. Munster and Wasps enjoyed some highly competitive, historic
encounters over the years and it will be exciting for me to join such a
progressive and ambitious Premiership club.
“I’ve had some
really enjoyable chats with Dai [Young], and his clear vision for how he
wants to play and what he thinks this squad can achieve excites me. I’m
looking forward to working with an excellent group of coaches and an
exciting group of players.
“It’s a fantastic opportunity to
learn and progress as a coach and I will look to add as much value as I
can to the coaching team and squad next season. Until then, my focus
remains firmly on Nottingham and the second half of what has been a very
positive season to date.”
