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Wasps within minutes of home semi after bonus point win
Leeds 28,
Wasps 45.
WASPS have done their part today.
They stormed Leeds with six tries to secure their second bonus point victory in four days and take the battle for a home semi-final to the final minutes of the regular Guinness Premiership season.
If Gloucester beat Bath in the West Country derby (they lead 8-6 with minutes remaining - see this site shortly for an update), Wasps will leap-frog Bath into second and then face them for a place in the Grand Finale at Adams Park next Sunday afternoon.
Not for the first time recently, Wasps gave their opponents a 20-minute head-start but in Tom Voyce Wasps have a player who can destroy teams in a moment and the understated assassin returned to the side with three tries to drive his team to five absolutely crucial points.
Voyce was one of a raft of changes from the team which beat Newcastle on Wednesday evening, with Simon Shaw back in the second row to become the first player to make 200 Premiership appearances, and Jeremy Staunton replacing Danny Cipriani to set up an all-Irish half back combination with Eoin Reddan.
And Staunton was involved early on with a superb pick-up and off-load to free Paul Sackey, only for referee Andrew Small to call play back for a marginally forward pass.
Instead, the league's bottom side went in front after six minutes with a penalty from Alberto Di Bernado, and they should have extended that moments later when second row Kearnan Myall surged down the right flank, but his pass was fumbled forward by Rob Vickerman with a clear run to the line.
Leeds did stretch their advantage with a second Di Bernado penalty after ten minutes and, after Staunton had kicked the restart straight out of play, 6-0 become 9-0 in the 16th minute when Wasps infringed after a long spell defending their own line.
A bad start, Wasps' third in a row, was made worse when Paul Sackey limped off to be replaced by Josh Lewsey.
But adversity brings out the beast in Wasps and from their first meaningful attack Voyce was in the right place to squirm over the initial inroads had been made on the opposite flank by Mark van Gisbergen.
Staunton's conversion meant 20 minutes of hard labour from the hosts was virtually wiped out, and despite starting a quarter of the match after Leeds, Wasps were on the move.
Not even a 25th-minute intercept try from Tom Biggs to make it 16-7 could knock them out their stride.
Staunton's penalty cut the gap to six points and Wasps finally inched in front in the 32nd minute when Staunton made it three out of three with the boot after Voyce had dropped his shoulder to wrong-foot Scott Armstrong and make an awkward finish look ridiculously easy.
A third Wasps try came on the stroke of half-time when Riki Flutey timed his pass out the tackle to absolute perfection for Fraser Waters, and eight minutes after the restart Raphael Ibanez wrapped up the bonus point after Mark McMillan's break.
With their job done after 50 minutes, it was just a case of maintaining concentration and hoping Gloucester could do the same.
Voyce had his hat-trick try ruled out, Jonny Hepworth and Henre Fourie went over for Leeds either side of a Joe Ward score before Voyce finally did complete his treble with seven minutes left.
Staunton extended his 100 per cent record to seven out of seven and, with a bit of luck at Kingsholm, Wasps will be back in Wycombe next weekend.
4:41pm Saturday 10th May 2008
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