Click here for my piece with Wasps Hooker Tommy Taylor for The XV website.

“There is a new element of freedom and expression,”Taylor says, “which he’s allowed to happen. He’s always been that sort of man: very relaxed and calm, and it’s bred naturally, through things like the youngsters coming in and making a statement. Players like Jacob (Umaga), play with feel and enjoyment. That’s come through into us older lads. The last two years or so we’ve been restrained by a fear of making mistakes. He (Jacob) stood up in a meeting just after we lost to Leicester, just after Dai had gone, and said that we were good enough to play from our own half, our own 22, if it was on. And that hit me. I realised that I had developed quite a negative mindset. The losses had built up and closed us off; it wasn’t the way we wanted to play. Experience is really important but sometimes, those without experience can provide the answer. Lee has allowed us to listen to every voice and reflect in the right way.”

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