PIUTAU HEAPS PAIN ON WASPS
Kiwi inflicts fifth loss on Young’s boys
ALL BLACK magician Charles Piutau helped inflict a fifth successive defeat on former club Wasps as Ulster ignited their Champions Cup campaign with yet another home win over English visitors.
This Pool One fixture followed a familiar script, with challengers from the Aviva Premiership coming to Ravenhill armed with quality and hope, only to be dispatched by the Irish province. It was the 18th time Ulster have welcomed an English club to their ground in a European fixture and the 14th time they have sent them away beaten.
Piutau performed wonders during his time at Wasps and he did so again on behalf of his current employers, by having a big hand in conjuring two second-half tries which turned the contest on its head. There was ample, fresh evidence that the Kiwi full back is a glittering talent who will surely galvanise Bristol when he joins them next summer.
In the meantime, his efforts ensured that Ulster have made an encouraging first step in their quest to qualify for the quarter-finals. For Dai Young’s Wasps side, it means the search goes on for a positive result.
Wasps had been able to recall a host of leading players going into this opening fixture, to signal an easing of their chronic injury crisis, but the omens weren’t good in terms of form and momentum.
Young’s side were launching their European campaign on the back of four consecutive defeats in the Premiership, whereas their rivals had started their season well in the Pro14 — aside from a shock defeat to Zebre in Italy. Ulster had plenty of their own medical problems and prior to kick-off there was confirmation that their Springbok flanker, Marcell Coetzee, will be out for nine months after having knee surgery.
BUT the visitors were the ones whose predicament soon deteriorated, as hooker Tom Cruse and centre Brendan Macken were both forced off early on.
A fourth- minute, long- range penalty by Lions and England back Elliot Daly put Wasps in front, but John Cooney soon levelled the scores at the other end. The teams cancelled each other out for the remainder of an abrasive first half.
Just before the half-hour, Wasps broke clear on the left flank. Thomas Young released Josh Bassett and the wing kicked into the 22, but Cooney, the Ulster scrum half, won the race to the ball ahead of his English counterpart Dan Robson.
From the ensuing scrum to Wasps, Joe Launchbury was held up over the line, before Iain Henderson disrupted a maul to earn his side some respite. It was short-lived, though, as the visitors kept coming and, just before the break, another penalty was dispatched by Jimmy Gopperth to send Wasps in 6-3 up.
Shortly after the interval, a second Gopperth penalty made it 9-3, but the hosts then seized the initiative. Piutau so nearly broke away in the Wasps 22 after a thunderous raid in the 52nd minute, then Christian Leali’ifano touched down a minute later only for the TMO to rule it out.
Yet the force was with Ulster and they stunned their opponents with a two-try burst. First, Piutau swerved left and sent Jacob Stockdale scorching past Willie le Roux to score.
The same combination tore Wasps apart again as Piutau blasted into space and offloaded to Stockdale, who then looped the ball in-field for Stuart McCloskey to cross.
A penalty by Leali’ifano 11 minutes from time extended the gap and he repeated the feat from a tight angle five minutes from time to deny Wasps even a losing bonus point.