Eoin Reddan understands reinvention. When Munster cooled to him in 2005, Wasps picked up the phone. There were no other offers on the table. He said yes instantly, the quickest decision he has ever made. When Leinster showed interest in 2009, he was "humbled". Connacht, Munster, Wasps, Leinster: a journey well made.
Reddan used to be the go-to man for Wasps information in the same way Leo Cullen and Shane Jennings are for Leicester. But four years in London can provide little fly-on-the-wall intelligence this week. Reddan is the first to say it: the prism of time has changed the club he once knew.
They have the same name but a different team, different grounds, different owners and different fans. All of it, he believes, makes them a more dangerous prospect in Coventry on Saturday.
“Their resurgence has been pretty amazing in some ways. They are fourth in the Premiership,” he says. “To have that level of turnover of players – within two years 13 of the 15 who had started in their last Premiership final win had left. That’s a pretty big turnover. To come back from that as quick as they have means they have scouted pretty well. They have got a lot of guys who you wouldn’t have heard of before but who are now delivering big games.
"It's not like they signed Bryan Habana. They signed guys like (Ashley) Johnson and (Nathan) Hughes (both backrow) who all of a sudden are big players and that's a good sign of a club. They obviously aren't going to have to pay him big, big bucks and their environment helps that guy become a good player.
“That’s been their motto for years. For a while there they were very short on money, probably due to where they were playing, and now things are looking up for them.”
Posters of themselves
Reddan tells the story of back in the day when the Wasps team coach arrived at the away team’s grounds for a game. They’d look out to see posters, not of the opposition but of themselves hanging on the billboards and poles. Players like England’s
Joe Worsley
, Matt Dawson and
Lawrence Dallaglio
were so well-known that Wasps opponents used them to keep the turnstiles ticking over.
Their recent, permanent move from London to Coventry has not only been good commercially but good for the team.
“That was a smart decision. When I was there we used to sell out the club we were going to,” says Reddan. “Sometimes the other clubs would have billboards of our players outside and the ground would sell out. I think everyone was an international at that stage. Then we would go back home the following week and we would have empty seats. It’s moving in the right direction. Their rugby is very good as well. They are still being underestimated by everyone, which is surprising.”
The weekend’s match against Harlequins threw up some interesting material. ’Quins had 75 per cent possession and lost the game, suggesting Wasps have a very strong defence. One thing Reddan realises has remained intact is the team’s intensity.
They have held those values, they play with a plan and in any broken play or games with space they have players who can hurt: Christian Wade, Tom Varndell, Sailosi Tagicakibau. All Black winger Frank Halai is reported to be joining them after the World Cup.
“I think from watching them play and the intensity they play with, their defence is still very strong as you could see from the weekend. I wouldn’t be comparing them to Wasps of old. I think I’m probably more impressed with the turnaround they’ve had as a club. It’s so hard to change your culture, never mind the whole roster as well, and still come out with a team that’s consistently doing well.”
On the cusp
Dave Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald give Leinster edge, with
Cian Healy
and Seán O’Brien hoping to return soon. Leinster may be on the cusp of turning their season around. But the scrumhalf is not so dramatically led, and while Castres was a swing the right way it was not a sea change.
“We got a few things right at the breakdown that allowed us to play a bit more,” he says. “You take any breakdown, there’s always a reason why the ball is not quick.
“The angle you carry in at, the height you’re at, how hard you fight. Is the barrel there quickly, is the other barrel there quickly? Does the man get in? Does the man get the ball away? There’s probably 10 jobs to do.”
On Saturday Reddan hopes to have a job and face scrumhalf Joe Simpson. That's an old school reunion. Simpson was at Wasps when Reddan answered his phone 10 years ago.
