Wasps close in on quarter-finals (From Bucks Free Press)

Wasps aim to top Amlin pool

1:50pm Friday 11th January 2013 in Sport By Alan Feldberg

ASSUMING neither Bayonne or Newport-Gwent Dragons got a bonus point last night, Wasps will book their place in the quarter-finals of the Amlin Challenge Cup if they beat Rugby Mogliano with a bonus point at Adams Park tomorrow.

However, even if everything goes to plan this weekend, Wasps will be after a win in their final pool game in Wales next Thursday night.

Director of rugby Dai Young said: “Even if we’ve won the group we’d still have to win at Newport to get a home draw, so it won’t change our emphasis for the last game.

“Whether we’ve won and are through or not, it doesn’t change anything going. We want to finish with two in two.”

Young has actually won this competition with a series of away wins in the knock-out stages.

He said: “When I was coaching at Cardiff we did it the hard way. We came down from the Heineken Cup then went to Newcastle and won and then came to Wasps and won and then won in Toulon as well.

“But there are very few teams that do that. Most results go with the home team so I think a home draw is crucial in any European competition.

“If you look through the Amlin and the Heineken Cup, there are very few teams that go through playing away.”

First though, Wasps need to take care of Rugby Mogliano, who they beat 59-12 away from home.

Young said: “I expect to win and I expect to win with a bonus point. I’m not saying it’s going to be easy because it’s not. We’re going to have to do the basics really well and bring the work-rate and attitude.

“But I would expect that. We got a bonus point out there and I’d expect it at home.”