IF Wasps were frustrated from losing to last season’s Premiership finalists, they took out their grievances and then some on Premiership winners Northampton Saints with a breathtaking victory at Adams Park today.

They disrobed the kings of England 20-16, out-scoring them by two tries to one to take arguably their biggest scalp since Dai Young took over.

Ashley Johnson and Tom Varndell both pierced the Saints line in a compelling second half, but this victory was won in the opening 40 minutes when withstood a incredible buffeting from their visitors to go down the tunnel 3-3 in front.

But even that colossal effort looked like it would go down as a footnote in another story of plucky defeat as Stephen Myler nudged his team into a 9-3 lead after 50 minutes.

Wasps also got the benefit of a TMO decision when George North thought he’d scored in a spell that could have taken the game beyond the home team.

But, like they did all afternoon, they dug their heels in and came back harder and stronger.

It was a stunning effort and will raise eyebrows throughout the Premiership. Closer to home, inside Adams Park, it raised the roof.

Wasps were expecting a locomotive and they certainly got it as Saints and their bulging pack ploughed into them up front from the first whistle.

Virtually the entire first half was attack against defence with the home team playing backs-to-the-wall rugby.

But they played it unbelievably well. They spent the first nine minutes inside their own 22 but Northampton never got on top of them as, to man, Wasps met the champions of England hit for hit and shove for shove.

They finally earned some reprieve after nine minutes with a penalty ten metres inside their own half, but Andy Goode skewed his kick horribly and instead of the relief of an attacking platform out of harm’s way, the black and golds were still rooted on their heels in their own half.

To make matters worse, it was Saints’ put in and the scrum and, perhaps momentarily deflated, the Wasps pack coughed up a penalty and Myler nudged his team into a 3-0 lead.

But while that might have been the buckling of Wasps in seasons past, this outfit is gradually developing a hard crust and they raised the intensity still further.

Joe Simpson’s box kick moved them over the half way line and a spirited chase from Elliot Daly and Sailosi Tagicakibau won them their first penalty within range of the posts.

Rather than go for the three points though, Goode kicked to the corner. It was bold move. It was Wasps looking the team that had put more than 70 points on them the last time they met in the eye and refusing to back off an inch.

Suitably emboldened, the big guns of Ashley Johnson, Nathan Hughes and Joe Launchbury set themselves up for a driving line out and when Northampton yielded a second penalty Goode accepted the offer to level it at 3-3.

A familiar error at the restart nearly undid their work, but a colossal tackle from Tagicakibau averted the danger and with 27 minutes gone they might have gone in front with a second penalty.

Goode dragged this one marginally wide from 35m, but the ferocity of the battle was electric and it boiled over after half an hour when players from both sides piled in after a line-out went to ground.

Television replays showed Alex Corbisiero punch Johnson, who had barrelled into him, and both men were invited to cool down in the sin bin for ten minutes.

It took nothing of the sting out of the game though, and the loudest cheer of the half came after 35 minutes when Wasps, with their heels on their own tryline, shoved Saints off their own scrum.

A fierce first 40 ended with Wasps mounting their first attack of the half as Varndell, Hughes and Masi all drove at the line.

Saints absorbed the pressure, and escaped again at the onset of the second half when Goode fired a drop kick wide after another threatening attack.

Myler evened it up with a penalty the wrong side of the upright after 46 minutes, and shortly afterwards Welsh wonder George North was denied the opening try after the TMO ruled he had been in front of the ball when Ken Pisi kicked on.

Northampton did go in front with a second Myler penalty after 50 minutes, and a third made it 9-3 after 55 minutes.

By then Young had refreshed his team with replacements Tom Lindsay, Kearnan Myall, Jake Cooper-Woolley and Ruaridh Jackson, and with a quarter left they were rewarded magnificently with two tries in the blink of an eye.

Johnson got the first of them when he intercepted 30m from the line and powered into the corner, and literally moments later Varndell had gone over in the opposite corner after chasing down his own chip.

Jackson converted both from either touchline and, having trailed 9-3, Wasps were closing in on a gargantuan scalp at 17-9 in front.

As expected, Saints came back at them with everything they had. Simpson, Launchbury and Andrea Masi all made last-gasp tackles to hold up the onslaught, while Jackson had to limp away after twisting a knee.

Another penalty at scrum time with nine minutes left only heightened the belief inside Adams Park, and when Rob Miller, on for Jackson at fly half, stretched the lead to 20-9 with six minutes left they were just about there.

A late Ben Foden ensured the last few minutes were as tense as you’d expect, but Matt Mullan snatched the ball when the clock read 0:00 and Masi’s arm was aloft even before his kick into touch had landed.