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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.
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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.
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“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.
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“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
I’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
4 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
6 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
8 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
8 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
2 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to commentsJake White is a brilliant coach and a master in the press. This is another masterclass in media relations and PR but its also a very narrow view with arguments that dont always hold water. White wants his team to win, he wants the best players in SA and wants his team competitive. You however have to face up to the reality of a poor exchange rate and big clubs with big budgets. SA Rugby cant compete and unless it can find more money SA players will keep leaving regardless of Springbok eligibility and this happened in 2015 - 2017. Also rugby is not cricket. Cricket has 3 formats and T20 cricket is where the money is at. When it comes to club vs country the IPL is king but that wont happen because the international calendar does not clash with the club calendar in rugby. So the argument about rugby going down the same path as cricket is really a non-starter
22 Go to commentsNZ rugby seem not to have learnt anything from professional rugby. Super rugby was dying and SA left before they died with the competition. SA rugby did a u turn on their approach to international players playing overseas and such players are now selected for Bok teams. As much as each country would love to retain their players playing in local competitions, this is the way the world is evolving my friends. Move with it or stay 20 years behind the times. One more thing. NZ rugby hierarchy think they are the big cheese. Take a more humble approach guys. You do not seem to have your players best interests at heart.
4 Go to commentsBeaches? In Cardiff? Where?
1 Go to commentsHe is right , the Crusaders will be a threat. Scott Barrett, ( particularly), Fergus Burke , Codie Taylor, ( from sabbatical) etc due back soon for the Crusaders. There are others like Zach Gallagher too. People can right the Crusaders off, Top 8 , here we come !!
1 Go to commentsWe will always struggle for money to match the other sides but the least the WRU can do is invest properly in Welsh rugby. Too much has been squandered on vanity projects like the hotel and roof walk amongst others which will never see a massive return. Hanging the 4 pro sides out to dry over the last decade is now coming back to bite the WRU financially as well as on the pitch. You reap what you sow.
1 Go to commentsWhat do you get if you cross a doctor with a fish? A plastic sturgeon
14 Go to commentsWhat happened to feleti Kaitu’u? Hasnt played in a while right?
1 Go to comments