Red card swung the momentum – Hooper

BATH boss Stuart Hooper felt that the dismissal of Mike Williams played a “huge part” in their defeat to Wasps at the Rec on Saturday.

Williams was sent off in the 47th minute for a dangerous challenge on Wasps centre Jimmy Gopperth as the forward sought to effect a clear-out in a mall.

The Wasps man received lengthy treatment before being taken off on a stretcher, although he recovered afterwards, but the damage was done and bottom-placed Bath are still without a win in the Gallagher Premiership after six defeats.

Vaea Fifita, Gabriel Oghre and Tom Willis scored Wasps’ tries. Gopperth kicked two penalties and a conversion while Jacob Umaga added two conversions. Tom De Glanville and Semesa Rokoduguni touched down for Bath, with Orlando Bailey kicking a penalty and a conversion and Danny Cipriani adding a conversion.

Director of rugby Hooper said: “I didn’t see the incident close-up as the feed in our box wasn’t working, but if a player is injured following an opponent charging into a ruck, then you probably know the result.

“A red card always makes the situation very challenging and it certainly played a huge part in the game as there was a big swing in momentum.

“However we weren’t accurate enough to capitalise at crucial

BATH RUGBY ................... 17 WASPS ............................... 27

times. There were some positives in attack and I thought Tom De Glanville was outstanding and despite the loss, one can fault the fight of the boys.”

Next up for Bath is a daunting trip to top-of-the-table Leicester on Friday night, which Hooper accepted would be a difficult task.

He added: “We won’t have any more players back for that and we have picked up two more injuries in Lewis Boyce and Johannes Jonker and obviously we won’t have Mike Williams available as he will be banned.”

The Blue, Black & Whites are now six points adrift at the foot of the table.

Bath: De Glanville; Rokoduguni, Clark, Ojomoh, Muir; Bailey, Fox; Boyce, Du Toit, Rae, McNally, Williams, De Carpentier, Reid, Bayliss. Replacements: Joseph for

Clark (48), Cipriani for Bailey (48), J Schoeman for Boyce (32), Dunn for Du Toit (48), Jonker for Rae (48). Not Used: Richards, Merigan, Green.

Scorers – Tries: Clark, Rokoduguni. Cons:

Cipriani. Pens: Bailey.

Sin Bin: Bayliss (66).

Sent Off: Williams (47).

Wasps: Watson; Kibirige, Le Bourgeois, Gopperth, Bassett; Umaga, Robson; Hislop, Oghre, ToomagaAllen, Fifita, Stooke, Shields, Young, T Willis, Carr. Replacements: Crossdale for Watson (75), McHenry for Gopperth (47), Porter for Robson (22), Nearchou for Hislop (74), van Vuuren for Oghre (39), Cardall for Fifita (62), Carr for Young (41), Millar-Mills for Carr (53). Scorers – Tries: Fifita, Oghre, T Willis. Cons: Gopperth, Umaga 2. Pens: Gopperth 2.

Sin Bin: Toomaga-Allen (45).

Referee: Ian Tempest (RFU).

Bailey,