Thursday 13 October 2016 17:38, UK
There have been changes aplenty in the Wasps setup in recent times, with the biggest of those changes coming in the form of a move from west London to Coventry.
More recently, the club announced their ambition with the signing of England's Danny Cipriani, Wallaby Kurtley Beale and Springbok Willie le Roux among others.
The newest shift is at skipper, where at the beginning of the season Joe Launchbury was handed the task of driving the ambitious club towards domestic and European silverware.
"It's a fantastic opportunity for me to captain a club that means a lot to me, so when Dai Young asked me it was a very easy decision," Launchbury told Sky Sports.
"To follow in the footsteps of some great captains from before is a big role, but my focus now is very much on performance.
"We've got off to a good start in the Premiership but that's all it is: a start. With these European games coming round, it is really important to try to peak and play your best rugby."
"We've got some great senior players so there are lots of voices, both for me to use as a sounding board and also for them to speak in huddles and team meetings. It's not just my voice, it's a senior collective voice."
The 25-year-old is still getting to grips with leading the two-time European champions, but maintains he has not allowed the added responsibility to change his playing philosophy.
"You've got to do what's natural to you. What's got you there in the first place, what's been recognised as leadership qualities in yourself - you've got to stick to that.
"For me, leading by example is my primary aim. I am very big on trying to play as best I can at the weekend and lead that way.
"Fortunately, we have some great senior players in our team so there are lots of voices, both for me to use as a sounding board and also for them to speak in huddles and team meetings.
"So it's not just my voice, it's a senior collective voice which I think is working well so far."
That leadership group developed under Wallaby import George Smith, who signed a one-year contract with Wasps at the beginning of last season. While the Australian's departure has left an understandable gap, Launchbury says Smith's impression on the club will last for seasons to come.
"It's important to look at the value he had for the time he was there - we knew we were only signing George for one year," said the forward.
"It was a late signing but it was a fantastic signing. He proved to be an outstanding individual as a man and as a rugby player.
"Legacy may be a strong word, but what he's left behind in terms of his work ethic, teaching the back row what it takes to get to his level, is something they have definitely taken forward.
"If you look at the performance of our back row so far, with the loss of George and with James Haskell injured, some people may have looked at it as an area of shortage for us, but they've probably been the best area of our team this year."
Wasps are currently second in the Premiership, two points behind Saracens, who are the only side to inflict defeat on Dai Young's men so far this season.
It's a good start to the campaign for the side knocked out in the semi-final stages of the Champions Cup and the Premiership last season.
Launchbury says the club want to be consistent contenders on the big stage, and the way to do it is through patient development.
"In professional sport, you might have one year where you can make a push for the top and get there, but in order to be a sustainable club you have to steadily improve every year.
"These tournaments, the Premiership and the Champions Cup, they are too tough to just have big jumps, you've got to slowly work your way towards the top.
"We feel like we're on that path. Time will tell, but what we don't want to be is a team who have one good year and a few bad ones."
Wasps played their first game at the Ricoh Arena almost two years ago, and the England second rower believes the move to Coventry has helped the squad spend more time together outside the game, which has directly affected their performances.
"I think London is a brilliant city in so many ways, but in terms of your socialising off the pitch, everyone lived in different areas and traffic such a nightmare that you don't end up actually seeing each other outside the training ground as much.
"Now that we've all moved up to pretty much the same area in the midlands, we are getting out and seeing each other.
"I really feel that's helped integrate the new players, but also the guys who've been there for years are doing a lot more socially off the pitch, which can only help you on the pitch."
Watch Wasps in action in the Champions Cup as they take on Zebre, live on Sky Sports 2 from 12.30pm on Saturday
