Wasps head coach Shaun Edwards said his side looked tired as they struggled to beat a Bristol side on the brink of relegation.
Coach says his men need a break
Wasps head coach Shaun Edwards said his side looked tired as they struggled to beat a Bristol side on the brink of relegation.
Edwards said that his men were in need of a break following the 21-19 win at Adams Park on Sunday.
"A few of those players have played every game," he said. "Serge (Betsen) has played 12 or 13 games on the trot.
"They need a break, some of them have been playing every single week during that time and we've lost two matches, which is a magnificent effort when we've often had 11 or 12 players missing.
"I was disappointed with the tackling of the backs in the first half, but the forwards tackled manfully.
"It was a tired performance today from players who haven't had a rest because of internationals being away.
"We had some words at half-time and the second half was more of what we expect from people wearing that Wasps shirt."
Improving
Director of rugby Ian McGeechan denied that a recurrence of his ankle injury had been the sole cause for Danny Cipriani's absence during the second half.
The Scot will pick the high profile fly-half when he names his Lions tour squad next month
"He (Danny) is carrying it (the ankle) a little bit but it was partly that and partly tactical, said McGeechan.
"His game is steadily improving but there are bits we need to keep working on."
Bristol coach Paul Hull refused to condemn his side to relegation until it was a mathematical certainty - defeat to Worcester next week would seal their fate.
Hull cut a forlorn figure as he reflected on a series of missed opportunities in recent matches.
Disappointed
"It's a bit like a stuck record over the last four or five weeks, he explained. "We're improving our game-plan, but our second half performances let us down.
"We can't control what the other teams do, we know where we are and we are planning for next season but I'm just disappointed that we didn't get the four points today.
"The players are going to stay tight, regardless of what happens for the rest of the season.
"We are a family club with great supporters and they can see that the players are working right to the end and that's the foundation for next year, whatever league we're in."
