Haskell and Fekitoa to the fore as social media highlights just how popular Ashley Johnson was at Wasps
Numerous past and present Wasps players have paid tribute to Ashley Johnson after the club bid farewell to him this week, bringing an end to his eight-year stay. They showered the South African loose forward with praise on social media, with the term “legend” being frequently used to describe him.
James Haskell, who played alongside the 34-year-old in the back row for five years, hailed him as “an incredible player, teammate and all-round hero”, while current Wasps hooker Tom Cruse said how he had “done so much for the club, gave everything on the field and had time for everybody off it”.
Many players have also noted how the three-cap Springbok would always give 100 per cent, which was abundantly clear for anyone who watched him play.
Not only was he a tireless and ferocious ball carrier, but his commitment to the team was measured by his switch to the front row in 2015 to play as a hooker, having only dabbled in that position before moving to Wasps.
The disappointing thing for many fans is that Johnson did not receive the send-off that such a loyal servant to any team would deserve, with his last match turning out to be a 27-0 home loss to Bordeaux-Begles in the Challenge Cup in January.
But that is the reality of the situation that many departing players are finding themselves in during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nevertheless, Johnson leaves Wasps with the cemented status as a club legend, having played almost 200 games during his time at Adams Park and the Ricoh Arena.
Johnson arrived at Wasps in 2012 from the Cheetahs in Super Rugby, but there is no confirmation as to what the next step in his career will be. He was initially targeted by Jake White as a possible Bulls signing but has now been linked to an RFU coaching job. His Wasps departure was announced alongside Charlie Matthews, who is set to join Japanese side Kamaishi Seawaves.
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Nah, that just needs some more variation. Chip kicks, grubber stabs, all those. Will Jordan showed a pretty good reason why the rush was bad for his link up with BB.
If you have an overlap on a rush defense, they naturally cover out and out and leave a huge gap near the ruck.
It also helps if both teams play the same rules. ARs set the offside line 1m past where the last mans feet were😅
Go to commentsYeah nar, should work for sure. I was just asking why would you do it that way?
It could be achieved by outsourcing all your IP and players to New Zealand, Japan, and America, with a big Super competition between those countries raking it in with all of Australia's best talent to help them at a club level. When there is enough of a following and players coming through internally, and from other international countries (starting out like Australia/without a pro scene), for these high profile clubs to compete without a heavy australian base, then RA could use all the money they'd saved over the decades to turn things around at home and fund 4 super sides of their own that would be good enough to compete.
That sounds like a great model to reset the game in Aus. Take a couple of decades to invest in youth and community networks before trying to become professional again. I just suggest most aussies would be a bit more optimistic they can make it work without the two decades without any pro club rugby bit.
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