Launchbury leads Wasps rampage
WASPS director of rugby Dai Young was delighted after his side broke three club records in the top tier of European competition.
They beat their previous 11-try haul by one and also achieved their highest score and their biggest margin of victory.
Rob Miller and Joe Simpson each scored two tries, with Frank Halai, Ashley Johnson, Elliot Daly, Jake CooperWoolley, Josh Bassett, James Gaskell, Dan Robson and Joe Launchbury all going over.
Danny Cipriani converted six and Jimmy Gopperth five to complete the scoring.
Young said: ‘We knew we had to get five points and that was the big target to secure those points and have no injuries. There are a lot of smiles on people’s faces as there were some great inter-play between backs and forwards as we always want to play with tempo.’
Zebre managed two tries from replacement Federico Ruzza in the first half, which was the only point of concern for Young. He added: ‘We were disappointed to give away two tries and we had a rallying cry at half-time and it paid dividends.’
Man of the match Cipriani and Wasps’ captain Launchbury both drew praise from Young for their outstanding performances.
He said: ‘I don’t agree with Danny getting man of the match as it should have been Joe. He was impressive in the first 25 minutes when the game was in the balance as he secured big turnovers and made big tackles.
‘Cipriani kept it simple and direct and got the ball into space very well. He did a great job steering the ship.’