In-form Wasps thrash title rival Bristol Bears
Wasps continued their charge towards the Gallagher Premiership play-offs by crushing title rivals Bristol 59-35 at the Ricoh Arena.
Bristol boss Pat Lam made 12 changes from the team that beat Northampton five days ago, seemingly with one eye on next Friday’s European Challenge Cup quarter-final against the Dragons.
And Wasps showed no mercy, claiming a try bonus point after just 18 minutes – the second-quickest time in Premiership history – after flanker Jack Willis, wing Josh Bassett, hooker Tom Cruse and lock Will Rowlands touched down
Jimmy Gopperth added three conversions, and there was no way back for Bristol as Wasps made it nine wins in their last 10 Premiership games.
It means they will hold a top-three place going into the final two rounds of regular season action, but Bristol, who were two points ahead of Wasps before kick-off, will be fourth at best.
Wasps finished Bristol off with further scores from Zach Kibirige, Dan Robson, Tom Willis, Gabriel Oghre and a penalty try, with Gopperth adding three more conversions as Wasps topped 50 points for a second successive Premiership game.
Fly-half Max Malins, meanwhile, dominated Bristol’s scoring, posting two tries and kicking four conversions for an 18-point haul, while centre Piers O’Conor also touched down and there was a late penalty try and Peter McCabe score as they claimed a losing bonus point.
Captain Joe Launchbury made his 150th Wasps appearance, and was partnered in the second-row by Wales international Rowlands, while the Willis brothers Jack and Tom packed down together in a powerful back-row.
And Wasps flew out of the blocks, going ahead with just 40 seconds gone after flanker Brad Shields charged down an attempted Bristol clearance by scrum-half Chris Cook, and Jack Willis finished off.
Gopperth missed the touchline conversion attempt, but Wasps had already served notice of their blistering form, and worse was to come for the visitors.
This time they were undone by Bassett’s fine run that took him inside and outside Bristol defenders, and the visitors could not lay a finger on him as he touched down and Gopperth converted.
The one-way traffic proved unrelenting, and Wasps had a bonus point inside the opening quarter as Cruse touched down following a driving maul, then Rowlands scored following sustained pressure.
Gopperth converted both tries and Wasps led 26-0, with Bristol seemingly down and out with still over an hour of the game remaining.
Bristol did not mount a meaningful attack until the 22nd minute, and the only blemish for Wasps was seeing prop Kieran Brookes go off injured.
Bristol, to their credit, kept Wasps scoreless for most of the second quarter and managed two quality tries of their own as Malins claimed a fine individual score, before linking with O’Conor three minutes later.
Malins’ two conversions made it 26-14 at, but Wasps struck again before the interval when Kibirige showcased his pace to cross wide out.
And Kibirige was involved again six minutes after the restart, sprinting clear before finding Robson with an inside pass, and the scrum-half finished easily, before Gopperth’s conversion took Wasps 24 points clear.
A penalty try then followed after Wasps’ exerted scrum pressure that Bristol could not cope with, taking the home side past 40 points, before Saracens loan signing Malins served further notice of his quality by collecting his team’s third touchdown.
But Wasps scored an eighth try 11 minutes from time – number eight Tom Willis the beneficiary of more aggressive work by the forwards – and all Bristol had left was to strive for a try-scoring losing bonus point.
And it arrived via a penalty try in the 73rd minute, yet Wasps typically scored try number nine, via substitute hooker Oghre, then McCabe’s close-range effort and Malins conversion completed the scoring.
Comments on RugbyPass
To me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
30 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
30 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
30 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
30 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
30 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
30 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
30 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
2 Go to commentsI think he is right, SBW is respected in RSA. The guy who never stood up is a worm. Sseems lots of NZ SBW hate, you do the crime do the time.
17 Go to comments