Dai Young pleased with Wasps win over Exeter Chiefs

Wasps boss Dai Young expressed satisfaction over his team's fightback in the second half of their Aviva Premiership opener against Exeter Chiefs at Ricoh Arena on Sunday.

After being 7-18 down at half-time, tries from Tommy Taylor and Dan Robson in the second half along with heroics from Jimmy Gopperth helped Wasps win the game by 25-20. Gopperth contributed with 15 points in the game including a try in the first half.

Young lauded his team for turning things around in the second half after an untidy show in the first 40 minutes. The 49-year-old also criticised some of the decisions made by the referee in the game and credited his players for handling themselves well in the middle.

"It was certainly a game of two halves. The first half, we were disappointed with our work-rate, and we kicked the ball away far too many times.

"At half-time, we talked about working harder, getting ourselves into position earlier, winning the gain-line battle and getting quick ball.

"I was pleased with the second half and that we found a way to win. Everything we talked about before the game in the first half, we didn't do. That was ringing in the players' ears a little bit at half-time.

"I was pleased with the boys' discipline, not back-chatting to the referee. To be honest, he tried my patience today. Some of the decisions, I thought, were nowhere near correct, really.

"But one thing I always say to the players is to never look at the referee, but look at ourselves. At this stage of the season, you would settle for a win against a top team. Without a shadow of a doubt, they are going to be a top-four team."

The game also saw England international Danny Cipriani staging a comeback in the Wasps outfit for the first time since May 2010. The former prop admitted that the performance in the first half left Cipriani frustrating, but believes the 28-year-old will be a pleased man with the performance in the second half.

"Danny was a little bit frustrated in the first half, because he didn't have the options," Wasps rugby director Young said.

"But for his first hit-up back in the Wasps jersey, I think he can be pretty pleased. He did pretty well."

There was a controversial moment in the game when Exeter centre Ollie Devoto accidentally kicked Cipriani's head at a maul and was denied of any punishment by referee Tom Foley. Young backed the call by referee and believes Devoto's kick might not be an intentional one.

"Yes, it was an obvious kick through (the maul), but there is nobody in that Exeter team, I believe, would look to kick any one of our players in the head. I don't believe for one minute that it was intentional.

"That's just not in their make-up, right through their club, so if there was connection with the head, it was a total accident. I certainly wouldn't be thinking anything along the lines of foul play, because that is not part of Exeter's make-up."