Wasps' Gopperth backs 22-year-old England prospect Umaga to avoid pitfalls of second season syndrome
Jimmy Gopperth is backing Wasps teammate Jacob Umaga to avoid the defensive traps that will be set for one of the outstanding young English rugby talents when the Gallagher Premiership returns next week. Umaga, the son of Mike, the former Samoa international and rugby league player, and the nephew of Tana, the ex-All Blacks captain, was a product of the Leicester Tigers academy before moving to Wasps.
An England U20 international, he was called into Eddie Jones’s Six Nations squad in January only to be brought down to earth by the head coach, who informed the 22-year-old he possessed the body of a used car that wouldn’t get sold.
That was classic Jones, challenging a youngster to prove him wrong and Umaga responded so well he wore the Wasps No10 jersey for nine successive matches, including the three Premiership wins that took them up to fifth and just two points behind Northampton, the team they meet a week on Sunday when their season restarts, quickly followed by games against Worcester and Sale.
Lee Blackett, who took over as Wasps head coach from Dai Young in February, opted to redeploy All Black No10 Lima Sopoaga to full back to accommodate Umaga in a move that would become familiar to fans of Beauden Barrett when the Blues Super Rugby season started in New Zealand. Like the Blues, the decision gave the team two play makers while outside the precocious Umaga were Gopperth at inside centre and All Black Malakai Fekitoa.
That gave Umaga three outstanding talents to lean on when times get tough and according to Gopperth, that testing period is about to get even more challenging.
As Wasps prepare for that crucial game with Northampton – one of seven games in 28 days – Gopperth used his own experience to explain the task Umaga now faces with opposition defence coaches having had four months of lockdown to study the outside half’s game.
Gopperth told RugbyPass: “It always happens and I was the same. I ran riot on my first season of Super Rugby and the next one I was getting banged right, left and centre.
“They do look at guys but Jacob is a really good footballer with a good head on his shoulders and with the experience around him I think he will continue to blossom and do what he does best, which is enjoy himself. When he does that, he plays really well and that’s the main thing for him.
“We have great games against Northampton and everyone at the club is buzzing to get back out there. As players we have to be physically and mentally ready to go and that’s not just matches. We may have to play and then have to be training with just one day break to help prepare the guys who are going to be playing in the next one.
“It will be tough for the whole squad to stay focused and that is what we have to do and with seven games in 28 days we have to be right on it.
“Lee gave us a talk about it and said it was all hands on deck and it is all about putting the team first. We were in great form before the break and nothing has changed for us – we have just had a break and now we are back with the same focus and excitement about what we are trying to achieve.
“We have tweaked things a little which is exciting. We had some great momentum before Covid hit but that’s life and we have nine games to put ourselves in a good situation.”
Gloucester head coach George Skivington has dismissed questions about his departure from London Irish as he prepares to lead a new era at Kingsholmhttps://t.co/KWRn0ZW8eX
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 4, 2020
With many of the Premiership squads now bolstered by new signings, there is even more work to do off the pitch to identify threats that did not exist before.
Gopperth added: “I haven’t faced this before and it’s like having a transfer window – it’s bizarre! It will feel like a different season and a mini-competition.
“We will get to the end of nine games and say ‘that was a quick season’. It has been a long time since we played so it does feel like a new season.”
Game on. https://t.co/26Sebj0qyk
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) August 4, 2020
Gopperth has been watching his fellow Kiwis get the rugby world back turning with the Super Rugby Aotearoa competition and believes the Premiership needs to show the same ability to adapt quickly to the refereeing of the offside line and entry to the ruck which caused so many penalties in the early games in New Zealand.
“The offside line is the big one and that comes down to your discipline and they are looking at the tackle entry,” he said.
“I think it will suit us because we have some unbelievable jackalers like Thomas Young and Jack Willis who get over the ball so quickly. Hopefully, it will work to us and it will come down to who adapts best.
“It was a nightmare in the first couple of rounds of Super Rugby but then they all go the hang of it.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments