Rampant Wasps top group
5:30pm Sunday 13th January 2008 in Sport
Wasps 40, Llanelli 7.
LLANELLI Scarlets were likened to a wounded animal last week; at Adams Park this afternoon they were mercilessly put down as Wasps delivered the performance they've been threatening to destroy them 40-7 and go top of their Pool.
Four tries and a bonus point by half-time shook one monkey off their back, and Wasps broke another trend that was threatening to become a bad habit by keeping their foot on the accelerator after the interval to prove that they are an 80-minute side.
Tries five and six were added in the second half and so down-trodden were the Welshmen by the end that Wasps could afford to finish the game with 14 men and shift Tom Rees to the backline.
If Munster were watching, it would have chilled their hearts before a titanic showdown next Saturday, which will decide which of the two European juggernauts goes through to the Heineken Cup quarter finals.
When Wasps beat Llanelli away, they did so with a spectacular start to the match instigated by Fraser Waters. They were more measured this afternoon, but the affect was no less deadly.
Eoin Reddan's tap penalty caught Scarlets napping after just five minutes and it was that man Waters again who was in support to pick a line between three opponents to slide over the line.
Danny Cipriani's conversion sailed straight between the posts from the left touchline and Wasps were on their way.
The 8,173 fans had to wait another ten minutes for the second try though, and even then there was an element of fortune about it.
An attacking Llanelli line-out missed everyone but the referee, who was caught unawares behind the crowd. Tom Rees seized on the loose ball, Man of the Match James Haskell carried it forward before Cipriani's searing pace took Wasps to the brink.
Full back David Doherty, in for the injured Mark van Gisbergen and the honeymooning Josh Lewsey, was stopped a metre short but when the ball was recycled to Phil Vickery the England prop, with a little help from his friends, ploughed through Llanelli's last line to touch down.
Within minutes Simon Shaw tried a chip kick, Lawrence Dallaglio executed the first of three deft backhand passes and then Vickery showed why he is nicknamed Raging Bull by clearing Dafydd Jones not just out the ruck, but nearly out the country.
The home fans loved it. It was that sort of afternoon.
Even a Llanelli try through Deacon Manu after 32 minutes made little impression. Three minutes later Dominic Waldouck and Riki Flutey combined to send Doherty diving over and Wasps wrapped up the bonus point on the stroke of half time.
Haskell won clean line-out ball on the left, Cipriani's missed pass found Paul Sackey, who burnt off Mark Jones before passing inside to send Waldouck over.
Three Cipriani conversions gave Wasps a 26-7 interval lead, and if Llanelli drew encouragement from stirring second halves recently from Leeds and Clermont at Adams Park, it was soon battered out of them.
In fact, they barely got out their own 22 as Wasps' pressure was relentless. Haskell forced a turnover which led to the fifth try after 52 minutes, Rob Hoadley scoring it after coming on for the injured Flutey, and Haskell, Sackey and Hoadley could all have scored again before Sackey did go over ten minutes from time to complete the rout.
Flutey's hamstring injury, which will almost certainly keep him out of the trip to Munster, was the only negative as Wasps could even afford to withdraw seven players without disrupting the procession.
click2find
