JUST WAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR, MARCUS
MARCUS WATSON stole the limelight from his England star brother as Wasps went top of the Premiership.
Twenty-four hours after Lions wing Anthony starred in Bath’s win over European champions Saracens, the older Watson got in on the act.
With his first meaningful touch, in his first competitive start for his new club, Watson broke the game open with a superb try.
It was a lead Wasps never lost and their margin of victory was enough for them to leapfrog Newcastle and put them top of the pile.
“I like to back myself one-on-one,” said Watson, who won an Olympic silver medal with Team GB in the Rio Sevens. “Sevens gives you the opportunity to do that and that’s exactly what I want in 15s as well. It would be awesome to follow in Anthony’s footsteps.”
Watson Jnr has scored 13 tries in 29 Tests for England and the Lions, for whom he was everpresent in this summer’s drawn series with New Zealand. Marcus has had to wait longer for his chance to shine in the 15-a-side game but, having broken through at Newcastle, he is now eager to progress.
“To see what Anthony has achieved has really got my competitive juices flowing,” he said. “JJ (Jonathan Joseph) is my old housemate as well. You see players like that and it only drives you on.”
Wasps boss Dai Young hailed Watson as “quality” after seeing him chip the ball past his opposite number then run round him to regather and score.
He played only due to Christian Wade’s hamstring strain but how glad Wasps were that he did, given how grim the rest of this game was.
Bottom club Worcester pushed last year’s Premiership finalists all the way despite the wretched luck of prop Nick Schonert, who broke his ankle after just 15 seconds. They also had a try chalked off for a debatable obstruction call which had captain Donncha O’Callaghan spitting tacks, and lost playmaker Tom Heathcote to a blow to the head.
Yet still they had a chance to win.
Sam Olver hit the post with a kick which would have put them ahead late on – and Wasps responded to the let-off with tries from Willie Le Roux and Josh Bassett.