By Barney Burnham
November 17 2004

A comprehensive seven tries to two demolition of the league's bottom side took Wasps level on points with Zurich A leaders Harlequins.From the kick-off, Wasps put the visitors under pressure, and came close to an opening score after only three minutes A Bath pass went astray on their 22, and winger Mike Roberts hacked on, but couldn't reach the ball before it crossed the dead-ball line.

The first try came just a minute later, following a move down the left, featuring Stuart Abbott - playing his first game in 5 months - skipper George Skivington and Ben Gotting.

When the ball was moved back out to the right, Rob Hoadley used his strength to burst through two would-be tacklers and charge over from 25 metres. Daniel Cipriani - a 17-year-old Whitgift schoolboy, making his A team debut at fly-half - converted.

Bath then mounted a period of pressure, and it required a tremendous piece of defensive work by James Haskell to rob them of possession, just under the Wasps posts. They then had a chance to open their account, when Wasps were penalised for offside, but flyhalf Ryan Davies's kick glanced off the post and dropped safely into the arms of a Wasps defender, in the in-goal area.

The visitors then wasted a golden try-scoring opportunity, after a powerful run by centre Spencer Davey. With the line beckoning, winger Dominic Hitchcock dropped his pass.

A neat scissors move then sent Hoadley off on another long run. Flanker Jamie Astbury took the move on, only for Wasps to lose possession just short of the Bath line. Then came a move featuring two neat inside passes from Abbott, which led to a scrum deep inside the Bath 22. Harvey Biljon's darting run was stopped just short of the line, and the ball was moved out to the right. A superb long pass from Cipriani sent Hoadley over for his second try, which the young flyhalf couldn't convert.

Cipriani was showing a maturity way beyond his tender years. Making the most of Biljon's typically slick service, he was running the line well, delivering precision passes and seizing every opportunity to set his backs moving.

Th next try came on 25 minutes, and was created by a storming 35-metre charge by Haskell. The number 8 was stopped just short of the line, before offloading to Abbott. The England centre couldn't gather, but managed to flick back to Mark Lock, whose pass sent Astbury over for a try, which Cipriani converted.

That was Abbott's final contribution to the game, as he was substituted before the restart. His immediate reaction was: "I'm a bit tired, but I'm very happy to be back after five months. I've never played with these guys before, so it took some time to get used to things - and I need some more games before I'm fully match fit. There's a lot more running in these games than in the first team!"

The rest of the half belonged to Bath, as Wasps relaxed and lost their pattern. It was the visitors who registered the final score of the half, through an injury time penalty by Davies.

Six minutes into the second half, Bath finally crossed the Wasps line, thanks to a comedy of errors. From a lineout just outside the Wasps 22, the ball was tapped beyond the reach of Biljon. The scrum-half turned and gathered it, before slinging an attempted infield pass. It bounced into the arms of Davies, who had a clear run in for a try which he couldn't convert.

This score shook Wasps out of their lethargy, and they replied within 3 minutes. From a scrum near the Bath posts, the back-row combined to set up second-phase possession. The ball was quickly recycled and spun out to Mike Roberts on the left wing. He beat his opposite number with a characteristic sidestep and sped over for a fine try,to secure a bonus point. Cipriani failed to convert, but Wasps were nearly out of sight, at 24-8.

Three minutes later, Michael Whitehead - on for Cipriani - sent Hoadley away down the left. The centre looked as if he could have completed his hat-trick, but unselfishly chose to feed Tim Foster. Frustratingly, the pass fell behind him, and the chance was lost.

Wasps didn't have to wait long for their next try, when Haskell went over, following a catch and drive from a lineout in the Bath 22. Whitehead's conversion made it 31-8.

Four minutes later, Wasps stretched their lead, with a spectacular counter-attacking try.From a ruck on his own 22, substitute scrum-half James Honeyben spotted space down the left wing and sent Matt Priscott away. The winger reached halfway, before passing inside to Roberts. Another sidestep took him clear , despite a despairing grasp at his shorts by a Bath defender - mercifully, the shorts stayed up. He raced away to touch down under the posts. Whitehead added the extra points.

To their credit, Bath refused to buckle, and they came close to a second try, after an impressive run by Davey, who spun out of a tackle to make 40 metres, before feeding Davies, but the Wasps defence snuffed out the move.

The next opportunity went to Wasps. A well-timed run by Priscott set up an overlap on the right, but substitute centre Dominic Waldouck - another 17-year-old schoolboy - couldn't hang on to his high pass.

Bath finally got their second try in the last minute, after another good work by Davey sent hooker Dave Ward. The conversion was missed.

Deep into injury time came the try of the match, set up by an outstanding piece of defence by Waldouck. With Bath threatening a counterattack from their 22, the teenager made an astonishing double tackle, before winning the ball, which was worked to Sam Ulph. His acceleration and mazy run sent him clear for a score which brought the sizeable crowd to its feet. Whitehead's conversion made the final score 45-13.

Coach Tony Hanks was delighted with the result, and much of the performance: "I was a bit disappointed that we lost momentum after a good start, but we eventually got our structure back and finished well. There were some big plusses - obviously, having Stuart Abbott back was one. George Skivington's leadership was excellent, and we clearly have two great young prospects in Dan Cipriani and Dominic Waldouck."

The win took Wasps above Gloucester into second place in the table, and the Cherry-and-Whites are our next opposition. We play them at Imber Court, on Monday the 29th.