LEINSTER 32 WASPS 17
SAME ground, same outcome. Two weeks after England’s Grand Slam dream di s appeared here, t he Premiership’s top dogs were sent packing with their tails between their legs.
A moment of spectacularly cackhanded amateurism from Springbok Willie Le Roux will be the abiding memory of this lesson for Wasps as their loudly-trumpeted January arrival dropped the ball in the act of scoring what should have been a game-altering first-half try.
Le Roux may never live down an error few schoolboys would have made. Perhaps, just perhaps, it would have woken Wasps from their first-half slumber. In truth, the gulf between these two sides was enormous. Le Roux’s error was simply emblematic of a blundering display from a side who have much thinking to do.
‘ Willie apologised at half- time’ said Wasps director of rugby Dai Young. ‘It’s disappointing isn’t it? But I don’t think any coach is going to sit up here and crucify his own players.
‘He was disappointed and he had his head in his hands. He has apologised to the coaches and apologised to the players. I don’t know what else I can say. It didn’t make things easy but I’m not saying it was a turning factor because we had 55 minutes to play.’
Just as England wilted a fortnight ago, the pressure of the occasion proved too much for Young’s starstudded team of high-earners, if not high-achievers in silverware terms.
‘If you’re going to lose you want to make sure you do everything in your power to test the opposition,’ added Young.
‘In the first half we didn’t do that and it looked as if the occasion got to us in the first 25 minutes. We looked for the miracle ball or tried to force things and kept turning the ball over. We made it very difficult for ourselves. We didn’t give ourselves a chance.
‘ We gifted Leinster 14 points which was hugely disappointing. We panicked at times.’
With five of the players who started for Ireland against Engl and, Leinster completely and utterly bossed this game with an assurance which made a mockery of Wasps’ pre- match confidence.