Late tries help Wasps secure victory over Dragons in their Champions Cup opener
Wasps finished their first outing in this year’s Heineken Champions Cup in style as late tries secured them a 24-8 bonus point win at Welsh region Dragons.
Tries from hooker Tom Cruse, scrum-half Dan Robson and flankers Jack Willis and Thomas Young along with two conversions from centre Jimmy Gopperth saw Wasps home.
The Dragons scored a nice try from wing Jonah Holmes plus a penalty from fly-half Sam Davies and were close until the late burst.
It caused a reshuffle of the Dragons squad with European Professional Clubs Rugby, the governing body of the Heineken Champions Cup, issuing a statement to say that Wasps had agreed to play if the Dragons removed six players from their team.
And it is understood all the Wasps players were asked before the match if they were happy for the game to go ahead. All said they were.
A statement from EPCR said: “EPCR were informed yesterday (Friday) that two members of the Dragons tournament squad and staff had tested positive for Covid-19.”
The Dragons squad returned negative tests earlier this week and it is understood that only players were involved in the re-testing as part of the Track and Trace system, and not staff, after the discovery was made on Thursday.
The EPCR statement said consultation then took place with their medical staff after the positive tests and “once all contact tracing evidence had been examined, it was agreed that the Pool A match could be played safely provided Dragons replaced six players in their matchday squad as a precautionary measure”.
With the match going ahead, the Dragons were down to 14 men just before the first quarter as wing Jared Rosser was yellow carded for a no-arms tackle inside his own 22.
The Dragons held out but skipper Rhodri Williams then committed himself to a tackle on Cruse, and the Wasps hooker went past the scrum-half and jogged to the line.
Davies booted a penalty but two dummy passes, from Wasps full-back Lima Sopoaga and wing Josh Bassett, produced acres of space for Robson to also run over the line, with Gopperth converting.
That left Wasps leading 12-3 at the interval, but the visitors then went down to 14 men after the break when Sopoaga was accused of a no-arms tackle on home full-back Josh Lewis and was sent to the bin.
And the Dragons took advantage of their extra man with a superb try which saw the backs spread the ball wide before veteran Welsh centre Jamie Roberts sent the ball inside for Holmes to score.
Davies had the chance to bring the Dragons within a point from a long-range penalty but it fell short.
And two tries in the last 10 minutes from Willis and Young, with Gopperth converting the latter, allowed Wasps to pull away and claim the bonus point victory.
Comments on RugbyPass
What a pathetic little twit Andy Goode is, as if we care what he thinks…..😂
104 Go to commentsFoxy has been a wonderful player for the Scarlets and Wales.
1 Go to commentsNika the Georgian is the best referee in the world at the moment. Luckily we will be spared the shite SH refs and Barnes will hopefully remain retired given how shite and embarrassing he was at the RWC.
2 Go to commentsThis is the most exciting game of the summer imo, as we really won’t know in advance how both teams are going to play. - Will Robertson just reproduce his Crusaders tactics from last year, or will there be a conscious effort to borrow from the Hurricanes and Blues, and from the aspects of the ABs world cup strategy that worked well? - England under Borthwick have put in some good performances playing attacking rugby, and some good performances playing kick-oriented defensive rugby. Will Borthwick try to merge them together into a single all-court game, or will he continue switching between different approaches depending on the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition?
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
1 Go to commentsI’m predicting an aggregate points difference of no more than +/-10pts across both matches this series.
9 Go to commentsFinals are always tense affairs for the players so I do not expect this to be a spectacle of running rugby unfortunately.
2 Go to commentsBulls***': Ex-England international calls out Eben Etzebeth… Not to his face but from very far away… after he’d left. Checked to make sure he wasn’t in the building.
104 Go to commentsHopefully this will mean a new Auckland league team to support in the west. Big Warriors fan but it’s very, very stale on that front and I’d like the option of another team if it was to watch league again. League needs to step up BIG time if its to get anywhere, another AK team and something from the capitol or south is a must for the game.
3 Go to commentsGood, deep interview, nice job Frankie!
1 Go to commentsNRL players don’t have anywhere near the number of Tests. Some people would be happy having Rest Homes full if 40 yo ex-players walking, or hobbling more like it, into walls. It’s just a game!
4 Go to commentsNOW Razor is worried about ABs getting injured or overplayed! Didn’t bother him last year. He happily played his AB Crusaders.
4 Go to commentsWhat is the World Rugby U20 players born year.
2 Go to commentsMuch like the Chiefs finally gave up waiting for Atu Moli to ever not be injured, you have to wonder if the Chiefs and Crusaders will let Josh Lord and Ethan Blackadder go next season. They’re being well paid to sit in the injury ward every year. Better off putting those funds towards someone who might actually play.
7 Go to commentsShowed better basic skills than some nz Super sides, who probably would have botched some of those backline moves. This tournament really is too short though. Needs more teams, or have them play two rounds to properly prepare them for the near full-time NH U20 sides.
4 Go to commentsGood grief it’s only six months. Probably just upset it’s not an established kiwi entering their prime they can “project” into green to join the rest.
3 Go to commentsGood player but far from being best in the world. That's an exaggeration. Perhaps Best in world by Northern Hemisphere standards and biasis but certainly not Southern Hemi standards
3 Go to commentsWell one thing about World Cup knock out rounds and Ireland is very clear: they won’t be getting ahead of themselves in ‘27! Because making it beyond the QF is well and truly ‘IN THEIR HEADS’ now…😉
104 Go to commentsHas this guy been dope tested? Sounds like a case of “roid rage”.
1 Go to commentsI would like to see him say that to Eben face to face in a dark alley.
104 Go to comments