A MAGNIFICENT length-of-the-field try in the final play of the match sent Wasps fans home with a spring in their step, but it was the forwards who inspired a 43-22 win over London Irish that keeps their LV=Cup interests alive.

Elliot Daly provided the highlight of the afternoon when he raced away from the cover defence to finish off a break started inside his own 22 by Alex Lozowski.

It was Wasps’ fourth try of the match and wrapped up a valuable bonus point, but alongside Man of the Match Lozowski, who ended the day with 22 individual points, the pack will go home happy after a job well done.

Winning penalty after penalty against their guest, they knocked the stuffing out of Irish and got their reward with a win that makes up for last weekend’s narrow defeat in Sale.

Wasps kept faith with the young squad that lost narrowly in Manchester and were rewarded with the game’s first try with 15 minutes gone.

Prop Simon McIntryre dug his way over for the hosts to set the tone for the forwards, who not only dictated terms at scrum time thanks largely to the efforts of their front row, but were also on top in the loose with Buster Lawrence particularly impressive.

Their pressure yielded a string of penalties, with Lozowski converting three of them in the first half, kicking another to touch and just missing with a booming effort from the half way line.

Irish kept in touch though with four penalties of their own from the boot of Myles Dorrian, before snatching the lead in the final play of the half when Leo Halavatau went over.

By then Nathan Hughes and Sailosi Tagicakibau had come on for the injured Thomas Young and Will Helu, and after Irish extended their lead with another penalty Josh Bassett hit the afterburners to claim Wasps’ second try of the game after 47 minutes.

Lozowski’s conversion made it 23-22, and the introduction of Ashley Johnson, Elliot Daly, Joe Simpson and Jake Copper-Woolley was further good news for the home faithful.

A third try should have followed shortly afterwards after Wasps had won two more penalties in the scrum to set up an attacking platform deep with the Irish 22.

They weren’t able to barge their through though, and instead they settled for two more Lozowski penalties after 61 and 68 minutes.

That put Wasps 29-22 clear, but rather than taking what they had, the home forwards only upped the pressure in the final ten minutes and their third try will have had front rows everywhere nodding in approval.

First they locked arms to roll Irish 30m back in the scrum and when the inevitable penalty came, they kicked to the corner and then shoved their guests back over their own from the line out.

Guy Thompson was the man with his hands on the ball, but the work was done in front of him.

To their credit, Irish finished strongly but they were never going to get the two tries required to draw level and it was Wasps who finished with real élan when they broke away from their own line to wrap up the bonus point from fully 80m.

Lozowski started it when slipped through a gap inside his own 22, and after Ben Jacobs took it off him the ball moved to Daly to put his foot down and sprint clear of the chasing Irish defence to dive over in the corner.

Lozowski converted to seal his Man of the Match award.