Nick Cain: Nathan Hughes must prove he has the clout to withstand the wolfpack assault

When it comes to individual clashes the Wasps against Saracens line-ups in the European Cup semi-finals at the Madejski flash like a slot-machine stuck on jackpot. The one that pays out more than any other is Billy Vunipola versus Nathan Hughes in a titanic clash of the No.8s.
If Vunipola is the young king at 23, then Hughes, above, 17 months older, is the challenger to the throne. Saturday’s contest is given an edge because it was the Fijian-born Hughes who was signed from Auckland to fill the void left in the Wasps back-row by Billy’s departure to join his brother, Mako, at Saracens three years ago.
The rivalry is honed to the sharpest of points because Hughes will be available to England on residency grounds the month after the Australia tour, and has already declared for the Red Rose by declining to play for Fiji in the 2015 World Cup.
If Big Billy, below, at 20st and 6ft 3in is the equivalent of a super-heavyweight No.8, then Hughes at 17st 6lb and 6ft 4in is more in the heavyweight category. The Wasps man has more speed and plays more of an off-loading game out of contact than Vunipola, but it was evident against Exeter in last weekend’s all-Premiership quarter-final thriller at the Ricoh that he does not have the close-quarter clout of the Saracens juggernaut.
This is not surprising given that Hughes is over two stone lighter, but the way the heavy-duty Chiefs fringe-defence put the clamps on him meant that his yardage around the sides of rucks and from peels around the tail of lineouts was limited. In fact, although Hughes never shirked the close-quarter combat, because he was hit early and hard he made considerably less impact as a carrier than his opposite man, Thomas Waldrom.
With their wolfpack aggression in defence still a crucial component in their success it is a given that the English champions will emulate Exeter in targeting Hughes – and their effectiveness in keeping him quiet will be a main hinge in the outcome of this semi-final.
There is also the added motivation – as if Saracens needed any – of avenging the crushing 64-23 home defeat inflicted by Wasps in February. That defeat came when their large Six Nations contingent was absent (Vunipola included), and Hughes scored two of the eight-try Wasps haul.
What Hughes also demonstrated is that unless you stop him early his charges are the catalyst for Wasps to go raiding as the best broken-field attacking side in the Premiership. His linking with scrum-half Dan Robson has been one of the highlights of the season, and it will be a partnership that Vunipola and the Saracens back-row will be determined to rupture.
What Wasps have to contend with is that, where Hughes has yet to earn his spurs as a Test No.8, Vunipola is already the genuine article. When it comes to making metres Vunipola has just finished carrying the ball into the teeth of the best defences in the Six Nations, and rather than them leaving him in tatters it has been the other way round.
He has emerged this season not just as a force of nature, but as a storm that, rather than blowing itself out after 60 minutes, is still gale-force at 80. Add to that his nascent ability to clatter as hard in the tackle as he does when he’s steaming forward with the ball, and Wasps will need strength of mind as well as sinew to shackle him. To add to his impact Saracens have also developed Vunipola’s potential as a decoy, opening up space for their strike runners.
Wasps know what they are up against, with Robson saying this week that the Wasps romp at Allianz Park will have little influence on which of the sides progresses to the European Cup final. “It was a massively changed Sarries side and when it comes to knock-out rugby they have been there and done it. They are the benchmark of English rugby teams to knock over. It will have no bearing on that week.”
Robson, below, says that Saracens deserve plaudits for what they have achieved in reaching the European Cup final and two semi-finals in the last three years, and go into the game as favourites because of it: “They have had a bit of consistency. They have got a very strong squad depth and the players have been put in that situation a couple of times now and they know how to get out of it. It is going to be a massive challenge for us, it is the first time for a long time, but we are very confident.”
Robson says their confidence has been hard-earned, and that Wasps believe they are worthy of a place in the last four of the European elite. “We have improved massively over the year, and especially in Europe our form has been pretty good. We set ourselves goals to get out of the group first of all, then to give ourselves that home quarter and just take every game. If you are going to win these competitions you have got to beat the benchmark sides like Sarries. We pride ourselves on our performances at the minute.”
Robson, who was part of the England U20 side that finished as JWC runners-up to New Zealand in 2011 alongside Saracens luminaries Owen Farrell and Mako Vunipola, and his own team-mates Joe Launchbury and Elliot Daly, says it gives him hope of higher honours.
“There are always going to be players that push through quicker than others. That’s fine, and it’s been great for the boys like Owen, Mako, Billy and Joe that are playing consistent rugby – and Elliot has just broken in – so it gives us the knowledge you might get that opportunity.”
However, for the moment Robson says he is looking no further than the business at hand, and he pays tribute to the boost Wasps have had from the input of backs coach Lee Blackett. The Blackett inspiration has been evident all season – not least in the brilliant flourish provided by Charles Piutau, Daly and Jimmy Gopperth against the Chiefs and Christian Wade’s six-try haul against Worcester yesterday.
“Lee is great. He is obviously not long out of the game so he is pretty fresh with his ideas. He knows what the boys want, and what works well with everyone. He treats us well and boys react to it. He wants to push us as much as possible.
“With the backline we’ve got and our strength in depth this year, we have always said we wanted to play a good brand of rugby, and move the ball. He has been key to that, and he gives us a bit of freedom as individuals and as a unit. We have worked really hard. It was tough at the start of the season – it took us a bit of time to gel as coaches and as a backline, but in the last couple of weeks it is starting to come.”
The warning is implicit: Should Saracens manage to neutralise Hughes as effectively as Exeter did, Wasps believe they still have another string to their bow.