Wasps upset the odds to beat Saints at the Gardens
WASPS went top of the table for the first time since Lawrence Dallaglio was in his pomp thanks to this smashand-grab raid.
However, it was a match which left Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder as frustrated as the Franklin’s Gardens crowd at his side’s inability to put away their chances.
While you could not fault Northampton for passion, you certainly could when it came to precision, with the home side squandering a handful of chances.
Northampton had no-one with the ruthlessness of Jimmy Gopperth, who scored 15 of Wasps points, to keep Wasps tantalisingly out of reach of a furious Saints assault in the last 10 minutes.
With Northampton camped on the Wasps line and the visitors reduced to 14 after Nathan Hughes was sin-binned for persistent collapsing, replacement scrum-half Tom Kessell gave them a glimpse of redemption with five minutes remaining by finally burrowing over.
Stephen Myler’s conversion saw Saints within a point at 13-12 – but Wasps responded in piratical fashion instantly when, with Ashley Johnson forcing Michael Paterson to spill the ball, super-sub Dan Robson made a searing break to seal the match.
With only George Pisi to beat Robson chipped and chased, and when he was taken out by the Saints man – earning him a yellow card – Josh Bassett won the race with Harry Mallinder to ground the ball.
With Gopperth converting Wasps led 20-12, though a last minute penalty by Myler gave Northampton a crumb of comfort. Instead, they should have had their fill against a Wasps side that was frequently hanging on by their fingertips.
Saints made a rip-roaring start when a sustained assault ended with crisp handling by Mallinder and Ben Foden sending George North stampeding over for his first try at home for almost two seasons.
Northampton forced Wasps to dig deep to keep their line intact as Louis Picamoles and the Saints pack attempted to batter their way over.
When Wasps eventually lifted the siege by winning a scrum in their own 22 they hit Northampton with the sweetest of sucker punches, with Danny Cipriani calling the shots. The Wasps fly-half slid a grubber through, outstripping Picamoles to gather the bounce.
As Guy Thompson raced up on Cipriani’s shoulder Northampton were shredded, and the flanker drew the last line of defence before putting Gopperth clear.
Northampton should have made amends straight away, but Alex Waller cost his side a try when he obstructed Daly, resulting in the TMO ruling out Ken Pisi’s touchdown.
With Gopperth landing a penalty, Wasps were 10-5 ahead at the interval – although with Haywood held-up over the line just before the half-time whistle it was Saints applying the pressure.
Saints continued to squander chances early in the second half, with Ken Pisi unable to hold a Picamoles offload with the line open. Wasps responded with a Gopperth penalty taking them to 13-5 but in the last 15 minutes Saints emptied the tanks.
Their effort was not matched by composure, and with Courtney Lawes spilling the ball with the line at his mercy Saints had to regroup again. They kept coming at Wasps, but it was not enough to stop the visitors claiming their fourth win from four.