'People talk about Sarries being relegated and that taking a bit of pressure off... you'd be lying to say it doesn't'

Dai Young has admitted Saracens’ automatic relegation for breaking the Gallagher Premiership salary cap rules has taken the pressure off the teams who were facing a fight to stay in the top flight this season.

Wasps registered only their third win of the Premiership season on Saturday, winning 30-26 at Worcester to push themselves up the table from tenth to eighth place, and Young believes the club can now concentrate all their efforts on qualifying for next season’s Heineken Cup competition rather than looking over their shoulder.

Young said: “Europe has always been the aim and people will talk about Sarries being relegated and that taking a bit of pressure off and you would be lying to say it doesn’t and every team will say the same. Every team in this league can beat each other and European qualification will go right to the wire.”

Young admitted he was disappointed that Jack Willis, the Wasps blindside, didn’t make the England Six Nations squad. The strongly built forward put in another impressive try-scoring performance at Worcester and he also won the final turnover penalty that allowed Wasps savour a much-needed victory.

The Wasps boss also wants to see scrum-half Dan Robson back in the England selection mix after his bonus point try ensured the invaluable away win. Young added: “Jack’s turnover at the end saved our bacon. 

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“He is not just about turnovers. He has an all-round game and to me, he is an international in waiting. Eddie can’t pick everyone but Jack is hopefully the next cab off the rank and I’m disappointed he is not in the squad. 

“Dan has worked hard at his game and some of the stuff he did was top draw. Any line breaks he is on their shoulder and he is going from strength to strength.

“We played the right game in the second half until we got ourselves in front and then tried every way we could to try and lose the game. It could have gone either way and we only had ourselves to blame at the end of the first half playing from too deep and giving them field position.

“Zach Kibirige has shown this season (after joining from Newcastle) that he has a little bit of X-factor and pulls things out of the bag and he looked really sharp. It was great to see Dan Robson on his shoulder and that is what he has made his name about. It’s great to get the bonus-point win.”

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