Rugby: London Wasps 24 - 22 Leicester Tigers

A late Jordan Crane try earned Leicester Tigers a losing bonus point, but it was too little, too late for the result of an engrossing match in which they dominated territory and possession, but were unable to turn their dominance into points thanks to the home side’s impressive defence.

These two sides have won ten of the twelve Premiership titles in the professional era, and their clashes are always enthralling, with the clubs having met in three major finals in the last five years. The opening minutes were a microcosm of the game itself, as Leicester swiftly moved into Wasps’ half, and retained possession there, before Paul Sackey counter-attacked and won a penalty 30 metres out. The lively Joe Simpson took a quick tap before offloading to Sackey, whose pace and strength was too much for a string of tacklers, as he touched down on the right. This set the tone for a first 40 minutes in which Wasps scored on all bar one of their visits to the Leicester half. Toby Flood kicked four penalties as good defence from the home side prevented any real try-scoring opportunities, but undermined their efforts somewhat with a string of infringements. Dave Walder replied with a kick of his own, but his best moment came late in the half. The fly-half, often under rated for his attacking skills, drew two defenders and offloaded out of the tackle to Steve Kefu, the Australian scoring under the posts. Another Walder penalty sent Wasps in at half time leading 18-12. Leicester had dominated the scrum, earning yards and penalties from a seemingly outclassed Wasps front row, but they had not been able to turn this into tries, and lacked the home side’s efficiency in attack.

In the second half, the game tightened up, as Wasps’ front five put in a much improved scrummaging performance, neutralising the Tigers’ biggest weapon. The home side were unable to find any clear cut scoring opportunities of their own however, and two more penalties from Walder, against one from Flood, who also missed a simple chance from the edge of the 22, were all either side could produce going into the closing minutes. As Leicester began to show more ambition, the game opened up, and a string of Wasps errors gave the visitors one last chance, with Crane scoring his try from a five metre scrum, despite it seeming to have gone round much more than 90 degrees. However, Aaron Mauger’s rushed conversion was the last act of the game, and time ran out for the Tigers.

With all the recent criticism of the quality of professional rugby in England, it was refreshing to see such a compelling match, with Wasps showing ambition in attack, and although there was plenty of kicking from both sides, it was more purposeful than that seen in the autumn internationals. Coach Shaun Edwards will be pleased with his side’s defensive performance, one or two lapses aside, and the performances of the likes of Simon Shaw in defence are encouraging. Leicester will be disappointed with their inability to turn territory and possession into tries, and their lack of invention.