Late agony for Wasps again as Sale snatch win in last seconds
LATE AGONY AGAIN AS LAST-GASP SHARKS TRY SINKS DAI’S MEN
SALE 28 WASPS 27
LATE heartbreak was inflicted on Wasps for a second week running as Marland Yarde’s try at the death earned Sale Sharks a 28-27 win.
With the last play of the game and James Haskell in the sin bin, Sharks remained patient as the visitors held firm but Yarde kept his width and his cool to go over and stretch Wasps’ losing run in these parts to nine games.
It had all started so well for Wasps with two converted tries from Josh Bassett after Elliot Daly’s early penalty from distance. It was a surge that wasn’t to last. Rob Webber and Byron MacGinty landed tries before half-time and when Bryn Evans struck 43 seconds after the restart and AJ MacGinty landed a penalty, Sale were six points ahead.
Despite being down to 14 men after Danny Cipriani’s yellow card, Jimmy Gopperth struck a penalty and converted a Daly try before Sale rallied late on to land their winner.
It was two Jack Willis turnovers inside the first ten minutes proved crucial to Wasps opening a ten-point lead.
The first of which Daly successfully boomed over a penalty from halfway. Second time around, once more from a Willis winner, Cipriani kicked to touch and after Yarde took the ball into touch.
From the resulting line out, Willie le Roux and Daly combined to allow Bassett to power over through two tacklers. Gopperth’s touchline conversion stretched Wasps’ lead after 10 minutes.
Faf de Klerk’s fluffed box kick granted Wasps field position and from a razor sharp line out, le Roux pulled in a pass with one outstretched arm before freeing Bassett to canter over for his second try in nine minutes, again improved by Gopperth.
A long-distance penalty from MacGinty got Sale on the scoreboard after 24 minutes and three minutes before half-time, Sale cut the lead to one converted try when hooker Webber rolled over under the posts after a period of good pressure on the Wasps’ line.
Better was to come when MacGinty’s beautiful cross-field kick was weighted perfectly for Byron McGuigan to catch and dive over to score. The missed conversion kept Wasps ahead by two points at the interval.
Less than a minute into the second half, Sale moved three points ahead on the scoreboard when Dan Robson’s clearance kick was charged down by Evans who calmly gathered to touch down for an unimproved score.
Finally Wasps woke up and it was Jack-in-the-box Wade, refusing to be tackled, who jumped straight back to his feet with the Sharks defence stretched before a composed pass to Daly to finish off in the corner.
Gopperth’s third successful kick moved Wasps one point ahead.
Wasps were forced to battle for ten minutes when Cipriani was yellow carded for an ill-advised handling offence. MacGinty missed the subsequent penalty.
Gopperth pushed Wasps four points in front with a 40-metre penalty with 15 minutes remaining.
Sale spent the final five minutes camped on the Wasps’ line as after Haskell was sin-binned late on.
Faf de Klerk’s race to the line prompted a lengthy delay as Cipriani left the field on a stretcher.
When play finally resumed, Wasps defended their line heroically but ultimately ran out of numbers as Yarde went over to score.