RUGBY UNION: WASPS may be flying high in Aviva Premiership and have a European quarter-final to look forward to, but scrum-half Joe Simpson knows the season can only be considered a success if they maintain their results until the very end.
Not since the 2008 season have Wasps reached the title showdown match at Twickenham and that’s something Simpson is keen to change this time around.
On that occasion they went on to lift the trophy after triumphing 26-16 over Leicester Tigers but that was the club’s last piece of major silverware.
This time around, however, the club, who relocated to Coventry in 2014, are well placed for another assault on the title, comfortably ensconced in the top four with eight rounds remaining.
But Simpson, who is currently the longest-serving member in the Wasps squad, knows their strong first-half of the season will count for nothing if they let things slide.
“We are getting there; we are growing as a squad. We had a few new boys come in at the start of the season and they’ve been going well,” he said.
“We’ve got experience but we haven’t had those experiences of winning trophies and that’s something we need to get definitely.
“That only comes by playing in those crunch matches, in the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals.
“It’s been a fantastic year; we closed out 2016 without a home defeat so that was particularly pleasing for the whole squad, the fans and everyone involved at the club.
“We started 2017 well by qualifying well from our group, which was a tough old group and we got through by the skin of our teeth.
“We’re sitting top of the Premiership which is always nice but we need to just make sure we are in the top four and ideally top-two come the end of the season.”
Simpson and Wasps have provided plenty of entertainment this season and are currently the league’s highest point’s scorers.
But the 28-year-old knows that they also have to tighten up in defence if they want to prove they are the real deal following a shock 34-28 defeat at Sale Sharks on Sunday.
“We are trying to build a squad of winners at the moment,” he added.
“We came third last season and we’re sitting inside the top four now so we are improving.
“I feel like our attacking game is as strong as it’s ever been, that’s something we are delighted about.
“Our defence probably needs a bit of work; we need to be a well-rounded team. No team can compete right at the top if you’ve got any weak areas so we just need to have a good look at ourselves over the next couple of months and make sure we are in shipshape come the end of the season.”
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