WASPS were meant to be a club in turmoil, at odds with their fans and slowly coming to terms with the biggest decision in their history; instead they played like a team whose burdens had all been lifted as they overcame the previously rampant Aviva Premiership leaders Bath 29-22 at Adams Park today.

Seven kicks out of seven, two tries in the blink of an eye and three Bath players sin binned within 20 minutes was the story in simple terms, but that doesn’t begin to explain an afternoon of high emotion in High Wycombe.

There had been talk before the game of protests from some fans and others voting with their feet by staying away.

But there was hardly any sign of either as the largest crowd of the season, 7,393, greeted Wasps onto the pitch with a rousing cheer.

The PA announcer had spent the previous half hour urging fans to focus on rugby, but the backing the black and golds had within Adams Park suggested he was preaching to the converted and, just four days after the tumultuous news of relocation to the Ricoh, this was clear evidence that club and fans are still shoulder to shoulder.

There was a lone banner in the Frank Adams Stand reading ‘Franchise Rugby £14m, Supporters 0’, but that was quickly rolled up and there was no sign anywhere else of any other restlessness.

And just as well, because at the outset Wasps had more than enough on their plate with Bath.

The visitors absolutely fizzed from the first whistle, and more than once the sort of incision that led to their 45-0 drubbing of Leicester threatened to cut Wasps open.

Monumental tackles from Elliot Daly and Ashley Johnson frustrated them twice, and when they did combine to send Kyle Eastmond under the posts they were called back for crossing.

At that stage it looked like Northampton all over again, with Wasps on the back foot and absorbing incredible pressure, but holding back the tide with a watertight defence.

That’s not how it turned out though, and it didn’t take long for Wasps to meet their performance against Saints and raise it.

It started with the forwards, who were ferocious in the loose and fired up in the set piece, pushing Bath off their own scrum more than once and winning a helpful share of penalties from their own put in.

That meant Wasps had an equal slice of territory and possession, and when they did get within range of the posts they invariably made it count as Andy Goode converted three kicks from three before Daly – always a man for the big occasion - ended the half with the timely pick-me-up of a 55m penalty.

They might so easily have had a try to their name as well, having come within a whisker three times during one extended spell of pressure midway through the half.

Sailosi Tagicakibau and Nathan Hughes were both held up over the line within 60 seconds of each other, and moments later Hughes broke from a ruck but was stopped a yard short.

Still the opportunity was there though, and after play had shifted to the other side of the pitch Goode tried to pick out Andrea Masi, alone on the opposite wing, with a cross chip.

But the ball dropped behind the full back, and Bath finally relieved the pressure.

There had been other eye catching moments for the hosts, with centre Alapati Leiua twice rampaging through and Johnson, again, winning decisive turnovers within inches of his own line.

Wasps’ hand was further strengthened after 38 minutes when Bath number eight Leroy Houston was sin-binned for tipping over Joe Simpson, and a perfect 40 minutes spilled over into the second half when, three minutes after the restart, Bath were down to 13 men as David Wilson saw yellow for a trip.

Goode did the necessary from the resulting penalty to make it 15-0, and with 35 minutes remaining Wasps were well on course to add the leaders to the champions on their list of scalps this season.

Unbelievably, it only got better with two tries in two dizzying minutes.

Christian Wade would have had the first when he tore after Daly’s grubber. He was just about to catch up with the ball when Ollie Devoto pulled him down, resulting inevitably in a penalty try.

And just seconds after Goode’s conversion Tagicakibau took Johnson’s offload on the half way line to accelerate through the Bath line to score by the posts.

Suddenly it was 29-0, and rugby fans everywhere were rubbing their eyes.

Wasps don’t do things the easy way however, and Bath have proved countless times they can amass a cricket score in a very short space of time, so what happened next was perhaps predictable.

Jonathan Joseph went over after 52 minutes to get Bath going, Micky Young and David Sisi followed him across after 65 and 70 minutes, and when George Ford landed a penalty with four minutes left Bath were just one try away from a spectacular draw.

But this was Wasps’ day. Fans spent the final minutes watching the clock as much as the game, but this was Wasps’ day.