WASPS have already started the process of recruiting for next season.

After confirming the immediate or imminent departures of Raf Ibanez, James Haskell, Tom Palmer and Riki Flutey, director of rugby Ian McGeechan turned the latter stages of Tuesday’s press conference into a thinly veiled sales pitch for the club.

He said: “We offer something that we think is something pretty unique. This club has got a fantastic track record of producing international players and as far as we’re concerned we won’t change.

“We had Raf [Ibanez] coming here thinking his international career was finished and he plays in another World Cup.

“We’ve got Phil Vickery....We back our players, whether they’re experienced players or young players.

“That’s what we try to give them, and the players give back to the club something very special and something that I’ve not come across before.

“The game at the weekend [a 36-29 win over Leicester] proved just how close this team is. The players played for everything that we’re about and nothing will change.”

And while admitting the champions of England could not match wages available on the continent, McGeechan said Wasps remained one of the most fulfilling rugby environments.

He said: “We’re looking for quality replacements and I’m hoping there will be players coming here because of the rugby argument.

“The Premiership is the best club league in the world, having been part of it now for five or six years, and the ethos of this club won’t change either: We want our players playing to the best of their ability.”

Replacing three England internationals is not going to be simple and fans will be interested to see what calibre of player comes in the other direction.

Early indications are that Wasps will look to the southern hemisphere to replenish playing numbers, but perhaps of more interest are those players staying behind.

Vickery, Tim Payne, Simon Shaw, Tom Rees and Danny Cipriani are expected to stay put and head coach Shaun Edwards says the fans are not losing faith.

He said: “There was 9,500 there for a 5pm kick-off on a Sunday night, we just got 32,500 for a club game where you had to pay full price – I think that shows our fans pretty happy with which direction the club is going in.”