Wasps losing their grip

Wasps were narrowly beaten by Leicester

14 April 2012

Of course, it may be of little consolation to Warren Gatland as he could feel London Wasps' grasp on the Heineken Cup being painfully, possibly even decisively, loosened but even the losing coach was prepared to see the bigger picture.

Outside the Test arena, rugby could not throw up a more intense juggernaut collision than this breathtaking afternoon at the Causeway Stadium.

If you wanted a statement of health about the English game a year on from Sydney and all that, Leicester's dramatic triumph in front of an enthralled full-house provided a glowing one. "I thought it was fantastic," admitted Gatland. "You couldn't ask for anything better from both teams in terms of commitment."

Quite. This was sport at its most compelling and the best news of all was that it is still only half-time. This Sunday, at Welford Road, the stakes will be even higher in the rematch with Gatland conceding that Wasps will have to win or be odds-on to have to surrender their European crown.

One is tempted to say it could not be more epic than round one which saw Martin Johnson's magnificent Leicester hang on to a 37-31 victory with Wasps swarming all over their line. Yet Gatland's promise that "if we're going to go down, we'll go down fighting" had a ring of veracity to it for there were times yesterday when the marvellous edge between England's two premier tribes looked poised to erupt from sporadic fisticuffs into all-out war. In Leicester, of course, it may yet.

As Lawrence Dallaglio pondered the defeat with a mixture of indignation and brutal honesty, though, you wondered how his forwards can lift themselves after being so comprehensively outmuscled by the inspirational Julian White and Co in the scrum yesterday. "It's the biggest area of concern," conceded Gatland. "To have any chance next week, we've got to get that right."

Dallaglio's indignation centred on how Wasps' remarkable comeback to level at 31-31 - after having found themselves 22-6 down following three superb Leicester tries in the opening quarter - may have been denied its perfect conclusion.

For with the home team camped on the Tigers' line with five minutes left and looking poised for a decisive score, referee Nigel Williams penalised Matt Dawson for a knockon when it seemed an opponent had actually kicked the ball out of the scrum-half 's hands. Leicester took advantage of their escape to respond with fly-half Andy Goode's late penalty and drop goal yet Wasps, looking for one converted try for victory, almost found it.

As they launched wave after wave of attacks and Leicester were reduced to the sort of unscientific defending described by Leicester's man-of-the-match White as "just trying to jump on somebody to slow the ball down", the visitors were just one infringement away from conceding a penalty try.

It was not quite enough but the fact that they fought back so fiercely was a tribute to the qualities which still makes Tigers' head coach John Wells fear they are eminently capable of doing the same as last year when the Celtic Warriors won in High Wycombe only for Wasps to prevail in the return.

"Me being boring type, I'll be reminding them all just about what happened down here last year," said Wells. "This is a team which will never give up, who'll fancy the challenge of going away from home to get the result."

But could this be a challenge too far for the champions, who sit on top of Pool One with ten points but have Biarritz and Leicester in second and third place respectively with nine points? They have a couple of worries with hooker Phil Greening a major doubt after suffering knee ligament-damage and Dawson looking sluggish from a calf problem.

In such a competitive group with Biarritz still able to eliminate both English teams, any weakness could be terminal and there's no reason why Johnson's mean machine up front, for all the moments of indiscipline which allowed a Josh Lewsey try and Mark van Gisbergen's 26-point kicking to keep Wasps alive, should not again dominate the set-pieces.

Still, Wasps always seem to thrive on these sort of odds. "They're not European champions for nothing," said Johnson. "It should make the next one even tastier." If that is possible.

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