CHRIS Bell has revealed the secret behind his tackling masterclass against Northampton Saints last weekend.

The centre was named Man of the Match after topping the tackle count and admitted that while technique is important, it gets you nowhere without the right attitude.

He said: “It’s probably more about mindset than technique. A lot of it is getting in the right place and trying to read the play, but then you’ve just got to hit them as hard as you possibly can.

“There isn’t much science to it. If you arrive with more force than they do it generally works our alright.

“So I’d say it’s probably more appetite for the tackle than technique, but you have to marry the two together.

“You hone the technique over quite a long period of time and you can have all the adrenaline and passion you want, but if you’ve got bad technique you’re not going to be any good.”

All great teams are based on defence and defensive leaders, and Bell’s role used to be played by Fraser Waters during Wasps’ heyday.

Bell said: “I saw a lot of Fraser and played against him many times.

“He was the cornerstone of the Wasps defence in the early 2000s and was a remarkable player.

“I’ve actually seen him at the club a lot since I’ve been here and try and get as many tips off him as possible.

“The system we use now is somewhat different but it’s still about trying to make the right plays on the field and tackle as well as you can.

“It won’t always be successful, but we try and do the right thing more often than not and against Northampton I thought our physicality, intensity and organisation was top-notch.”