Wasps bag first win of the season

PREMIERSHIP WRAP: Second-half tries from Brad Shields and Dan Robson saw Wasps edge out Bath 30-22, earning their first win of the season in  Premiership Rugby.

In the other match, Tom Hardwick’s last-minute penalty saw Leicester Tigers to a dramatic victory over Gloucester Rugby at Welford Road, their first of the Premiership Rugby season.

While Manu Vunipola’s nerveless late penalty handed reigning Premiership Rugby champions Saracens a dramatic win over valiant, newly-promoted London Irish at Allianz Park.

We take a closer look at Saturday’s matches:

WASPS 30-22 BATH

The two sides traded blows as Will Rowlands scored moments before half-time and Zach Mercer returned the favour five minutes after the interval in a ding-dong battle at the Ricoh Arena.

But England stars Shields and Robson crossed in the second half to seal the spoils.

Dai Young’s side bounced back from successive defeats in the first two games of the season, while Bath missed out on a losing bonus point despite the boot of Rhys Priestland.

The scorers:

For Wasps:

Tries: Rowlands, Shields, Robson
Cons: Sopoaga 3
Pens: Sopoage 3

For Bath:
Try: Mercer
Con: Priestland
Pens: Priestland 5

Teams:

Wasps:  15 Matteo Minozzi, 14 Zach Kibirige, 13 Malakai Fekitoa, 12 Jimmy Gopperth, 11 Paolo Odogwu, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Dan Robson (captain), 8 Sione Vailanu, 7 Nizaam Carr, 6 Brad Shields, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 James Gaskell, 3 Kieran Brookes, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Zurabi Zhvania
Replacements: 16 Tom Cruse, 17 Ben Harris, 18 Jeff Toomaga-Allen, 19 Thibaud Flament, 20 Ash Johnson, 21 Sam Wolstenholme, 22 Billy Searle, 23 Michael Le Bourgeois

Bath: 15 Freddie Burns, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Max Wright, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Aled Brew, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Chris Cook, 8 Zach Mercer, 7 Josh Bayliss, 6 Mike Williams, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Elliott Stooke, 3 Will Stuart, 2 Jack Walker, 1 Lewis Boyce
Replacements: 16 Tom Dunn, 17 Beno Obano, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Josh McNally, 20 Tom Ellis, 21 Ollie Fox, 22 Alex Davies, 23 Gabriel Hamer-Webb

Referee: Anthony Woodthorpe
Assistant Referees: JP Doyle & Paul Dix
TMO: Geoff Warren

LEICESTER TIGERS 16-13 GLOUCESTER RUGBY

The afternoon couldn’t have got off to a worse start for Gloucester when they lost captain Ed Slater to the sin-bin for a shoulder charge on Tigers playmaker Noel Reid.

And, after Hardwick and Billy Twelvetrees had traded penalties, the young fly-half scored a lovely solo try to give Tigers the lead.

Leicester should have added more but a mixture of a robust visiting defence and wasted chances meant the visitors only went into the break four points behind.

The tide then turned as an outstanding Joe Simpson try put Gloucester infront but, roared on by the home support, Hardwick scored two nerveless tries – the last in the final minute to give Tigers the win in an enthralling contest.

The scorers:

For Leicester Tigers:

Try: Reid
Con: Hardwick
Pens: Hardwick 3

For Gloucester:
Try: Simpson
Con: Twelvetrees
Pens: Twelvetrees 2

Yellow card: Ed Slater (Gloucester, 1)

Teams: 

Leicester Tigers: 15 Telusa Veainu, 14 Jonah Holmes, 13 Andy Forsyth, 12 Tom Hardwick, 11 Jordan Olowofela, 10 Noel Reid, 9 Sam Harrison, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Guy Thompson, 6 Hanro Liebenberg, 5 Calum Green, 4 Harry Wells, 3 Nephi Leatigaga, 2 Tom Youngs (captain), 1 Greg Bateman.
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 17 Facundo Gigena, 18 Joe Heyes, 19 Tomás Lavanini, 20 Ifereimi Boladau, 21 Ben White, 22 George Worth, 23 Adam Thompstone

Gloucester: 15 Tom Marshall, 14 Matt Banahan, 13 Billy Twelvetrees, 12 Mark Atkinson, 11 Ollie Thorley, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Joe Simpson, 8 Ben Morgan, 7 Jake Polledri, 6 Ruan Ackermann, 5 Gerbrandt Grobler, 4 Ed Slater (captain), 3 Fraser Balmain; 2 Franco Marais, 1 Josh Hohneck.
Replacements: 16 Corné Fourie, 17 Val Rapava Ruskin, 18 Jamal Ford-Robinson, 19 Freddie Clarke, 20 Lewis Ludlow, 21 Callum Braley, 22 Chris Harris, 23 Jason Woodward

Referee: Ian Tempest
Assistant Referees: Hamish Smales & Wayne Falla
TMO: Trevor Fisher

SARACENS 16-13 LONDON IRISH

Vunipola’s cousins Billy and Mako may have suffered defeat in the World Cup final earlier in the day but the young fly-half ensured that the family would at least have something to celebrate as he slotted the decisive three-pointer.

That came only a couple of minutes after Ben Earl had crossed from a driving maul to draw Saracens level and while Vunipola missed the conversion, he soon earned redemption and broke Irish hearts.

The Exiles had built a 13-8 lead when Albert Tuisue ploughed over ten minutes into the second half, cancelling out Titi Lamositele’s similar first-half try from a driving maul, but the visitors had to settle for just a losing bonus point.

The scorers:

For Saracens:
Tries: Lamositele, Earl
Pens: Lozowski, Vunipola

For London Irish:
Try: Tuisue
Con: Myler
Pens: Myler

Yellow Card: Allan Dell (London Irish, 74)

Teams:

Saracens: 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Sean Maitland, 13 Alex Lozowski, 12 Duncan Taylor, 11 Rotimi Segun, 10 Manu Vunipola, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Jackson Wray (captain), 7 Ben Earl, 6 Nick Isiekwe, 5 Callum Hunter-Hill, 4 Will Skelton, 3 Titi Lamositele, 2 Tom Woolstencroft, 1 Richard Barrington
Replacements: 16 Joe Gray, 17 Ralph Adams-Hale, 18 Sam Wainwright, 19 Joel Kpoku, 20 Sean Reffell, 21 Tom Whiteley, 22 Nick Tompkins, 23 Alex Lewington

London Irish: 15 Paddy Jackson, 14 Matt Williams, 13 Curtis Rona, 12 Tom Stephenson, 11 Ben Loader, 10 Stephen Myler, 9 Ben Meehan, 8 Albert Tuisue, 7 TJ Ioane, 6 Blair Cowan, 5 Franco van der Merwe (captain), 4 Ruan Botha, 3 Ollie Hoskins,2 Saia Fainga’a, 1 Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi.
Replacements: 16 Motu Matu’u, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Patric Cilliers, 19 George Nott, 20 Matt Rogerson, 21 Scott Steele, 22 Brendan Macken, 23 Ollie Hassell-Collins.

Referee: Adam Leal
Assistant Referees: Craig Maxwell-Keys & Philip Watters
TMO: David Grashoff

@PremRugby