Wasps Wary Of Italian Job

"There will be some changes next week," he said. "All the loose forwards and the midfield will be changed and we will give Mark Van Gisbergen and Tim Payne a rest. We need to get some confidence into the players coming back and Craig Dowd and Fraser Waters will both start and Simon Shaw will come back in.

"I'm very excited about next week because it will enable me to give some of the experienced players a break and the youngsters a chance to put pressure on them. We know it's going to be a difficult game, but we are looking forward to it.

"It used to be said that Wasps couldn't win a game without Lawrence Dallaglio. We have worked hard to rectify that and we have worked hard to build a strong squad of players at the club.

"We conceded seven tries in our Pool last season and five of them came against Calvisano while the other two wouldn't have been given if we had had the benefit of video replay. That means we have got something to prove defensively when we go back to Italy and it would be nice to get a bonus point out there.

"And it's nice to know that next weekend one or both of the other top teams in our Pool should be behind us. Biarritz now have to win at home against Leicester Tigers. What we'll be trying to do is get five points home and away against Calvisano and to maybe also take another bonus point away from home.

"At the end of the Pool games it could well come down to try count to determine who goes through."

Wasps outside half Alex King added: "Whichever team wins the Heineken Cup will be a worthy champion. Just to get out of the Pool stages is an achievement.

"It was great to win it last season, but to defend the title would be an even greater achievement. We are under no illusions of what to expect in Calvisano. We have to treat them with respect after what they did to us last year. We know we are going into a bit of a bear pit."

For Biarritz Olympique it is a case of delivering at home, coach Patrice Lagisquet admitting: "We know we've got to beat Leicester. If we lose again, we are eliminated from the Heineken Cup.

"We will have to take the initiative against Leicester. We have scored a lot of tries in the French Championship and we scored 18 in the Heineken Cup Pool stage last season, but it is hard to score if you aren't able to put more than two phases together. We must be more ambitious."

Back row hardman Serge Betsen added: "We all know we are in a very, very difficult Pool and the game against Leicester at the weekend is going to be a very important one for Biarritz after our defeat at Wasps.

"I really enjoy playing in the Heineken Cup because it gives you something different. It's important for the Biarritz players to grow up in the game and to play against good players from other countries."