London Wasps 38 - Gloucester 30 |
The
excitement and build up to 'The Stinger' had been monumental,
especially with 7th
position in the Premiership being an automatic qualifier into the
European Rugby Champions Cup.
It
was a game that saw Wasps showcase their strengths with Dai Young
quite rightly describing it as 'a great occasion' as
38,294 supporters turned up at HQ to support Comic Relief, bask in
the glorious sunshine and watch the London side become triumphant in
their quest for victory.
What a memorable day for the club!
The
Wasps were really on the front foot from the word go, their dominance
in the scrum and skill on attack was heavily highlighted, especially
as Gloucester initially looked static. That said, the Wasps
attacking back line saw a handful of unfortunate miss passes which
caught the likes of Elliot Daly off guard and up against a focussed
Gloucester defence. But luckily James Haskell managed to make a
break and score the first try of the game.
Haskell's
efforts were short lived however, when he threw a poor pass to thin
air off the restart, clipping dummy runner Ashley Johnson. This
played to Gloucester's advantage, as a chip and chase from Huia
Edmonds was followed up fabulously by Jonny May which put the first
points on the board for the Cherry and Whites.
In
reply, it wasn't long before Tom Varndell made a fantastic break off
an interception, powering down half the pitch to score, on his return
after three months out from injury. This flurry of energy and
exertion of pressure on the Gloucester defensive line paid off and
Wasps were quick off the mark from a line out, to ensure a basic pass
from Chris Bell to Elliot Daly secured Wasps their third try of the
game.
It
was fair to say Gloucester failed to react, as their unleashed
physicality was unfocussed. But there were episodes of excellence as
the West Country pack got back on the horse in terms of possession,
when several phases of play saw them secure two penalties in quick
succession. But silly handling errors and their inability to cross
the try line meant that the London side were keeping them at arms
length going in to half time.
HT
24-16.
Back
on the pitch, Wasps had to remain vigilant as they were conceding
soft penalties like there was no tomorrow. However when Will Helu
was sin binned early on in the second half, Gloucester failed to
react again.
There
was a continued lack of precision and execution in their phases of
play, which was proving Gloucester's downfall. If the visitors could
have rectified this, they would've looked threatening, especially as
they had a continuous overlap out wide on the attack.
In
contrast, Wasps were continuously striving for the try line and after
numerous phases of play, it was the wrecking ball Ashley Johnson who
demolished the Gloucester defence as he bulldozed across the line;
pushing the poison further into his prey - scoring the bonus point
try for the Wasps.
A
harsh yellow card was then shown to the try scorer, a second followed
shortly for Andrea Masi for a late tackle and then the Cherry and
Whites did construct a come back, as Huia Edmonds crossed the line –
claiming a late consolation prize.
But
hard-working Haskell wasn’t done. This was Twickenham! The sun
was shining and the supporters had turned up in their droves, so in
true showman style, he scored his second try of the match to seal the
deal for the Wasps.
Even
when Freddie Burns scored an interception try with three minutes left
to play, it was clear the Wasps had stylishly stung the West Country
pack – an illustrious achievement one would say.
Man
of the Match Nathan Hughes, told me after the game,
'When
you get given the opportunity to take it through the hands and
deliver, that's what I'm doing. I'm still young you know, learning
from the experienced James Haskell and Ashley Johnson. It was really
good to play outside those two.'
This
occasion must have been a real test of nerves for both teams and with
all credit to Gloucester, the Wasps really rose to the challenge
they faced at Twickenham and embraced it wholeheartedly.
A
crucial combination and perfect timing, with their feet firmly on the
ground and their hopes pinned on a place in the European Rugby
Champions Cup next season.
Onwards
and Upwards!
FT
38-30