Wasps romp to eight-try win over Saracens
Wasps ended their run of nine consecutive defeats against the reigning Premiership champions, and they did it in spectacular fashion.
SaracensWasps
Wasps went ahead in the third minute, after turning over a Saracens scrum, just inside their own half. Dan Robson broke round the blind side and sent a kick down the right touchline. Christian Wade gathered and almost made it to the lines. With the Saracens defence struggling to get back, Wasps had a huge overlap out on the left, and the ball eventually found Charles Piutau, who went over near the left corner.
Jimmy Gopperth missed the conversion, but had a much easier kick, just over a minute later. Wasps moved the ball out to the left, sending Josh Bassett away. He made 30 metres, before passing inside to Thomas Young, who had a clear run-in from 20 metres. It took just three minutes for Wasps to add a third try, after James Cannon charged through a gaping hole in the Saracens midfield. Wasps won quick ball and George Smith stole away, before feeding Dan Robson, who went over near the posts. Gopperth added the conversion, to give Wasps a 19-0 lead.
Saracens opened their account on 12 minutes, with a Charlie Hodgson penalty, from 35 metres, following a scrum offence in midfield. The home side then began to dominate territory, but their first threatening position, an attacking lineout near the left corner, came to nothing, as excellent work by the Wasps forwards sent them backwards and resulted in a scrum put-in. They remained camped in Wasps’ territory and Chris Wyles twice went close on the left. The pressure eventually told, when another driving lineout forced its way over the line, with Samuela Vunisa touching down for a try. Hodgson’s conversion made the score 19-10, with 25 minutes played.
This stung Wasps into action, and they responded with their fourth try, following a lineout on the Saracens 22. The initial drive was stopped, but the ball was worked infield. George Smith, Thomas Young and Ashley Johnson all made thrusts for the line, before Nathan Hughes gathered and forced his way over. Gopperth missed the conversion, leaving the score at 24-10, with 13 minutes of the half to play. Hodgson landed another penalty, nine minutes before the break. Again, Wasps produced the perfect response, after Siale Piutau made a powerful burst on the 22. He was stripped of the ball, but Nathan Hughes gathered from his toes, to charge over for Wasps’ fifth try. Gopperth added the extra two points, and Wasp were now 31-13 ahead, with eight minutes of the half still to play. On the stroke of halftime, Hodgson’s third penalty, from in front of the posts, cut Wasps’ lead to 31-16.
Three minutes after the break, Wasps stunned the home crowd with a sixth try. It all began when Nathan Hughes charged down Ben Spencer’s kick at a lineout, on the Sarries’ 10-metre line. Good follow-up work by Jake Cooper-Woolley set up a sustained attack, which stretched the home defence out wide, before play came back infield and Jimmy Gopperth jinked through a gap to go over near the posts. His conversion stretched the lead to 38-16.
On 47 minutes, Saracens lost their skipper, Alistair Hargreaves to the sin-bin, for coming in at the side of a breakdown, just outside his side’s 22. Gopperth landed the straightforward kick, to stretch the lead to 41-16.
After Thomas Young briefly left the field for a head injury assessment, to be replaced by Alex Rieder, Wasps again shredded the home defence, when George Smith once more found space around the fringes before delivering a short inside pass to Charles Piutau, who raced in for his second try. Gopperth added the conversion. Wasps were then awarded a penalty to restart, after foul play following the try. Gopperth went for the posts and his kick sailed over, to take Wasps to 51-16.
Needing five converted tries to draw, Saracens managed one, when James Hamilton went over from close range. Hodgson added the conversion, to make the score 51-23, on 55 minutes.
A series of Wasps replacements saw Carlo Festuccia enter the fray, for his first appearance since he fractured his cheekbone in the home win over Toulon, in November. He was joined, 15 minutes from time, by Will Rowlands, who replaced James Cannon, to make his Premiership debut.
Two minutes later, Nathan Hughes charged 40 metres downfield, before feeding Dan Robson, who had a simple run-in for his second try of the afternoon. Gopperth added the conversion, to take the score to 58-23, and both halfbacks then made way for Alex Lozowksi and Jamie Stevenson.
Saracens thought they had scored a third try, when they forced their way over in the 69th minute, but the score was ruled out for a high challenge on Nathan Hughes. Wasps then added three more points, when Elliot Daly thumped over an enormous penalty from nearly 60 metres. Two minutes from time, Alex Lozowski rubbed further salt in Saracens wounds, with a penalty from just inside the Saracens half. Wasps ended the game pressing for another try, before the whistle went, to end an afternoon which will live long in the memory.
Saracens Line ups
- Richard Barrington
- Schalk Brits
- Petrus Du Plessis
- Jim Hamilton
- Alistair Hargreaves
- Michael Rhodes
- Jacques Burger
- Samuela Vunisa
- Ben Spencer
- Charlie Hodgson
- Chris Wyles
- Bradley Barritt
- Nick Tompkins
- Michael Ellery
- Marcelo Bosch
- Jared Saunders
- Rhys Gill
- Titi Lamositele
- Hayden Smith
- Will Fraser
- Richard Wigglesworth
- Nils Mordt
- Ben Ransom
Wasps Line ups
- Simon McIntyre
- Ashley Johnson
- Jake Cooper-Woolley
- James Cannon
- Kearnan Myall
- Thomas Young
- George Smith
- Nathan Hughes
- Dan Robson
- Jimmy Gopperth
- Josh Bassett
- Siale Piutau
- Elliot Daly
- Christian Wade
- Charles Piutau
- Carlo Festuccia
- Matt Mullan
- Phil Swainston
- Will Rowlands
- Alex Rieder
- Jamie Stevenson
- Alex Lozowski
- Rob Miller
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