Vickery back as Wasps cling on for win

WASPS don't like doing things the easy way.

Comfortably in command at half-time, having run in three tries against their relegation-haunted opponents, the Adams Park side fell asleep and could have been on the end of a defeat that would have done their play-off hopes no good at all.

A return for prop Phil Vickery proved the highlight for Wasps in the second period as Worcester almost came back to grab a win that had looked extremely unlikely at the break.

The 21-13 half-time lead Wasps held may have looked convincing, but in truth the visitors had barely had to break sweat as the home side looked all at sea.

You could tell how this one was going to go when Warriors dropped the kick-off, straight away gifting the visitors a scrum.

From it Wasps were almost in, as the ball was passed down the line to Ben Jacobs in what looked like a game of attack v defence. Jacobs may feel on reflection playing a reverse pass with colleagues better placed was not the best idea, as the move broke down.

The visitors didn't have long to wait before they took the lead though. The Warriors backline showed the collective strength of a gnat as centre Steve Kefu burst through three or four attempted tackles before offloading to Dominic Waldouck.

He managed to keep going after an ankle tap and just about managed to get enough downward pressure on the ball for referee Dean Richards' liking to ground the ball. Danny Cipriani added the conversion.

Jacobs was next to have a go as he cut through a gap but his offload found touch instead of a colleague, as Worcester made an awful start to the game.

Their fans first had cause to cheer when Sam Tuitupo charged down Jacobs' clearing kick inside the Wasps 22, but the resulting line-out was snaffled away by the visitors.

Wasps had Worcester on the ropes, and they came to their rescue when a promising move involving several phases was ended when the men in white were penalised for crossing.

Chris Pennell dragged a penalty from the halfway line wide of the uprights before Willie Walker kicked a penalty to reduce the arrears to 7-3.

That was about all that was good for Worcester as soon after Waldouck got another try somewhat out of the blue. There seemed to be little on when he received possession, with a wall of black shirts ahead of him – but the in-form centre chose to simply go straight through the middle of it, leaving him with an easy run-in under the posts once he was through.

Waldouck was at it again soon after. Worcester hesitated when the ball went loose, allowing Sackey to pick up and give to the first try-scorer. One barnstorming run half the length of the pitch, and one swift offload to captain Tom Rees into the corner later, and Wasps had their third try.

They nearly had a bonus point in the bag with less than half an hour played, when a Wasps player failed to release with the try line gaping and the home side gasping for breath, slumped on the canvas.

It seemed to be job done already and Waldouck, who had picked up a knock in grounding the ball for the opening try, was withdrawn to be replaced by Mark van Gisbergen.

Just minutes later though Worcester managed to land a punch. Taking line-out ball, the pack pushed on and sheer weight of numbers ensured Pat Sanderson went over for a try, which Walker converted to make it 21-10.

In truth it was a lucky punch, with Wasps coming close again when George Skivington's forward pass denied Tom Varndell a try as he looked set to coast to the line once the brittle Worcester defence opened up yet again.

Walker kept them in touch with a long-range penalty – and a great run by Pennell raised the decibel level but Tuitopu agonisingly knocked his offload forward in the last move before the break.

Cipriani landed a penalty to stretch the lead immediately after the restart, before making a 40-yard break as Wasps looked to build on their superiority.

They failed to do so however and it was Warriors who spent more of the second half on the attack. Initially, although they huffed and puffed, they never looked like they were going to puncture the visiting defence despite looking threatening during a couple of forward forays – which, in fairness, were a couple more than Wasps managed.

There was precious little to write home about until Vickery emerged from the bench for his first appearance in months, getting a run-out for the last 26 minutes as he and Joe Worsley replaced Ben Broster and Simon Shaw in the pack.

Tim Payne and Serge Betsen also emerged from the bench as Wasps looked like they were going to stick rather than twist in a disjointed second period.

Betsen proved his worth within seconds, intercepted a pass from Marcel Garvey as the winger made an intelligent and threatening break from the back as Wasps pushed up.

Then out of nowhere Worcester decided to make a game of it when Walker showed some great skill after a midfield battle of attrition. The pass to him wasn't the best and Walker somehow managed to cling onto the ball behind his back, juggle it and clutch it in his grasp before running away from a covering defender and pass to Alex Grove to touch down.

Walker converted the kick himself to cut the gap to just four points with plenty of time left on the clock.

Sixways found its collective voice for the first time all afternoon with their side now firmly on top – but the game developed into little more than a kicking contest as Warriors were just as desperate to keep the ball in visiting territory as Wasps were to keep it away from their try line.

In the end the likes of Vickery and Betsen were needed as their experience and know-how at the breakdown slowed the game right down – and eventually time ran out for Worcester, who will feel little consolation as one bonus point could quite easily have been four points for a victorious side.