Exeter Chiefs 21, Wasps 8.

WASPS’ youthful team learnt a harsh lesson in taking your chances as they failed to build on a promising opening at Exeter.

A team with a sprinkling of young talent can hold their heads high at a decent display, with Christian Wade scoring a try and tormenting the home defence whenever he got the ball and Elliot Daly using the ball intelligently on countless occasions.

But when the easy try scoring chances came their way they simply didn’t take them as the home side pulled away in the second half after what had been a tight and competitive first period.

The final scoreline was probably harsh on Wasps but the two tries scored by Exeter – which simultaneously meant the Devon outfit leapfrogged their opponents and sent them down to ninth place – were very much a case of making the best out of very little.

It didn’t look like it would be the home side’s afternoon when straight away they fumbled the kick-off, and their luck didn’t improve as fly half Ignacio Mieres hit his first pop at goal against the upright.

And with six minutes on the clock another mistake led to an opening try for Wasps. Wade nipped in to snaffle away a misplaced pass and had the pace to pick the ball up on the run before it went into touch, before he steamed clear of the desperate covering defenders to touch down in the corner.

Wade was almost in again when fellow youngster Daly, who lit the spark for the visitors on a number of occasions, lofted the ball forward after Wasps had turned the Chiefs over, but this time the winger was taken into touch after the ball bounced up kindly to him.

The home defence was looking incredibly brittle and Ben Jacobs’ quick thinking stole back possession, but Richard Haughton slipped over at the crucial moment with the try-line gaping.

Exeter failed to punish Wasps for missing those chances as Mieres made it two misses from two when his kick from just inside the visitors’ half went wide.

Going forward the Chiefs didn’t do anything with the ball and a Wasps side which has taken some severe maulings this season was able to fend them off without too much concern – although Mieres made it third time lucky when he finally landed a penalty to cut the gap to two points after birthday boy Dave Walder had earlier pulled the conversion for the Wade try wide.

That gave Exeter belief and they managed to repel Wasps when a try had looked virtually certain. Wade had again punched open the gap with his blistering pace before he too fell victim to the slippery pitch, falling down at a vital moment.

It was then the turn of Wasps’ defence to part like the Red Sea as Luke Arscott burst through a pair of tackles. Again the defending to keep Exeter at bay was far from frantic – it didn’t need to be – but it wasn’t disciplined enough and Mieres put the Devon club in front when he kicked another penalty despite the strong wind swirling around Sandy Park.

The half ended with Mieres booting his side into a possibly undeserved 9-5 lead, as Wasps had certainly played the more enterprising and inventive rugby from hand.

Wasps thought they had taken the lead within seconds of the restart when Riki Flutey sent Jacobs away and under the posts, but an extremely late call from referee Llyr Apgeraint-Roberts stopped him in his tracks as he eventually deemed Flutey’s pass had gone forward – thereby denying Jacobs a try in his final game for the Adams Park side.

Piqued by that Walder, who turned 33 on his final appearance for Wasps, smashed over a drop goal to cut the gap to a point once more, but that proved to be his final contribution for the club as he limped off injured to be replaced by Josh Lewsey.

England centre Flutey was in the thick of things again moments later when his charging run sent him through the Exeter defence, but Daly was unable to grasp his offload as he missed out on an easy try that his overall play would have deserved.

And Wasps were left to rue that error as Exeter pulled clear after a try of their own. The black and gold defence creaked and groaned inches from its try-line for some time after sustained Chiefs pressure and it was only a matter of time before it gave way and allowed Tom Johnson to touch down.

Daly took over kicking responsibilities with Walder’s departure but his first kick went wide up of the posts, although Mieres made sure he didn’t feel too bad by shanking a similar effort.

Not that that made too much difference to the outcome as Exeter wrapped things up with quarter of an hour still to go when the ball was looped out to winger Matt Jess, who had a simple task in touching down in the corner for a 21-8 lead.

Wade hadn’t given up the fight and one last onslaught from him carried the winger half the length of the field – but it ended in a Wasps fumble and with that went the chance. It summed up a disappointing season for the black and golds.

Wasps: Haughton (sub Jewell), Daly, Jacobs, Flutey, Wade, Walder (sub Lewsey), Berry, Payne (Baker), Lindsay (Ward), Broster (sub Taulafo), Shaw, Birkett (Cannon), Launchbury, Jones, Hart (sub Burton). Substitute not used: Holmes.

Attendance: 10,522