Wasps pack a perfect 10
WASPS kicked off their pre-season campaign with an emphatic 10-try victory over Doncaster Knights.
The Premiership visitors to Castle Park showed their class and ruthless edge in the first period registering seven tries.
Matteo Minozzi, Will Porter, Biyi Alo, Dan Frost, Brad Shields and a brace from Josh Bassett kept the scoreboard ticking over for Lee Blackett's men.
Without Paolo Odogwu and Alfie Barbeary to call upon for the second-half following their withdrawals from the 30-man squad named, more points were added after the interval as Ali Crossdale and Dan Robson crossed and Minozzi grabbed a second.
The gulf in class was sizeable as the Black and Golds turned the screw at scrum time, burgled lineouts and took almost every attacking opportunity they created.
After the forwards had put in the hard yards to get Doncaster on the backfoot, scrum-half Porter switched play, Charlie Atkinson drew his man and Matteo Minozzi arrived on a perfect angle to glide into the left corner.
Brad Shields pounced on a loose ball and skilfully drew the last defender and free Porter on a rapid 50-metre scorching run to the line.
Charlie Atkinson’s sublime crossfield kick landed in the arms of the onrushing Bassett to crash through three defenders for Wasps' third of the evening.
Three more tries were to be registered before the break as Frost rumbled over from close range and Bassett grabbed his second from long range after smart work from Sam Spink.
Doncaster had their moments and gained a couple of entries into the 22, only for their lineout ball to be poached on each occasion.
Wasps coped with losing their only fit flyhalf Atkinson before the break as Ryan Mills arrived ahead of schedule as the forwards turned the screw.
Firstly, tighthead prop Alo muscled over then, deep into stoppage time after a probing Minozzi touchfinder, it was Shields’ turn to reach over.
Only five Wasps players remained on the pitch entering the second period as the likes of Dan Robson, John Ryan and Ali Crossdale entered proceedings.
It took a little while for the reshaped team to find their feet but they added an eighth try 12 minutes after the restart, recovering from Connor Edwards’ sublime 50:22 to turn the ball over and counter.
Smart work from Olly Hartley and Luke Mehson advanced Wasps upfield and the turnaround was complete when Crossdale put Minozzi in for his second.
Robson came into his own in the latter stages and his delicious grubber picked out Crossdale who grounded to score.
Then Robson sensed indecision at the back of a Doncaster ruck to pounce, hack ahead and comfortably win the foot race to score a converted try that brought up the half century of points.