Match action
BATH endured more last-minute drama but not on the scale of those painful blunders by Freddie Burns against Toulouse.
This time Bath were relieved to have gained three points from a dramatic pool match even if substitute Alex Davies missed a late penalty which would have grabbed victory.
Burns missed out on the late capers this time. He had limped off after showing the resilience to bounce back from those personal disasters.
On this occasion Burns was almost exemplary. He kicked five conversions and showed his usual confident touches despite the memory of that haunting finale against Toulouse when he missed an easy penalty and butchered a match-winning try.
Bath head coach Todd Blackadder had nothing but praise. “I thought he was outstanding. It’s just so good to see. He’s a great role model.
“He could have been so down but you would not have known that in the week. He put in a top performance and that is testimony to his character.”
Overall, it was a thoroughly bitty match. Some good tries – each team scoring five – but also plenty of poor moments though Wasps’ stunning burst of three tries in ten minutes after the interval was memorable.
Blackadder and his Wasps counterpart, Dai Young, rejected the thought that their teams had been affected by the events of the week led by Christian Wade’s disappearing act to American Football, Nathan Hughes being banned and Bath owner Bruce Craig calling for a replay of the Toulouse match.
Hughes, starting a ban which has cost him an England place, was in the crowd and cheerfully waved when caught on the big screen.
That gained a cheer while the crowd reserved a boo or two for the watching England head coach Eddie Jones. It was all a bit of early panto fun.
The match was far more serious. Bath provided the fireworks racing into a 21-7 by half-time. Joe Cokanasiga and Semesa Rokoduguni taking their chances in between a score for centre Max Wright. Burns converted all three to give him some much-needed confidence.
Wasps, who had relied on a try midway through the half from Josh Bassett to keep in touch, played their best rugby after the interval. They played at a tempo which left Bath clutching thin air at times and the tries by Joe Simpson, Zurabi Zhvana and Ashley Johnson turned that 21-7 deficit into a 28-21 lead.
However, Wasps could not sustain the pace and Bath, whose substitutes provided much-needed power, found the resolve to engineer tries for forwards Charlie Ewels and Francois Louw.
With Burns converting both, Bath led 35-28 only to see Elliott Daly and Simpson combine to put Tom Young over for Wasps’ fifth try. Lima Sopoaga kicked the conversion to level the scores.
The last few minutes was mostly a midfield scrap and ended in Wasps conceding a penalty out wide on the Bath right. It was a difficult kick and Davies pushed his attempt across the posts.