Wasps made sure their ambitions of a home tie in the play-offs were kept alive on Tyneside last night despite a spirited effort by Newcastle which required the visitors to earn their bonus point the hard way. Only five minutes remained when Danny Cipriani slipped Josh Lewsey through a midfield gap for their crucial fourth try, settling a rousing contest which featured seven tries.
Last season's European champions now sit in third place in the table with one round of matches to play. The closing furlongs are proving a demanding test of stamina, however, and they endured a testing first hour against a committed home team seeking to put a turbulent few days behind them. The difference, in the end, was probably the unceasing efforts of the Wasps back row, with James Haskell and Tom Rees heavily involved throughout.
Cipriani, who appears as a pin-up in the June edition of Cosmopolitan and has been nominated in both the player of the year and young player categories at this month's Professional Rugby Players' Association awards, also left his calling card on Jonny Wilkinson's home patch with two penalties and three conversions. It leaves Wasps needing another bonus-point win over Leeds on Saturday in the second leg of their northern mini-tour to maintain their quest for a top-two finish. "It has put us in a position where we can have a big say in what happens," acknowledged Ian McGeechan, the visitors' director of rugby.
If Kevin Keegan is seeking a less predictable competition he should watch more Premiership rugby. Assisted by the salary cap, 11 of the 12 sides in the league have proved capable of beating supposed betters, as underlined by the Falcons' 28-25 win over Leicester last Sunday.
The pre-match omens were less encouraging this time, with the home side missing all four of their England backs after Mathew Tait failed a fitness test on a bruised hip. He is unlikely to play against Worcester and will wear a Sale Sharks jersey next time he plays in the north-east. Toby Flood, similarly, is bound for Leicester and will be conspicuous by his absence. Wilkinson, moreover, is expected to undergo his shoulder operation at the start of next week and will not be on England's summer tour to New Zealand.
Steve Jones and the talented young prospect Rob Miller shared the No10 duties last night but the Falcons are believed to be looking at hiring another stand-off to cover Wilkinson's absences next season. Steve Bates, the acting director of rugby who is likely soon to be given the job long-term, has not taken the simplest job in the country.
For the second time in four days, however, the home pack tore into their higher-placed opponents. The mild, balmy conditions were in stark contrast to the date of the original fixture in late February when high winds forced a postponement but Riki Flutey still experienced problems under the high ball and Carl Hayman made his considerable presence felt in the scrums, forcing a penalty kicked by Tom May.
A rash of turnovers also disrupted Wasps' attacking fluency as the Falcons, following Gloucester's weekend example, displayed genuine physicality. It took a neat defensive shuffle from Lewsey to evade the charging former Wasp John Rudd in his own 22 and only a forward pass from a galloping Geoff Parling halted another decent try-scoring opportunity in the first quarter.
Wasps needed to increase the tempo and drew level when a harassed Miller deliberately knocked a bouncing ball into touch. Their night improved further when Haskell was driven over from close range by John Hart, captain in the absence of the rested Lawrence Dallaglio, but Newcastle were back on terms within four minutes. Wilkinson and Flood would have been proud of the exquisite long pass thrown out by the 18-year-old Miller to May, who thundered over in the right corner.
Two more tries followed in the closing five minutes of the half, Rees stretching over for Wasps after another powerful burst by Haskell and Ollie Phillips replying for Newcastle after another slick counter-attack that started life with a Cipriani fumble in midfield. The Falcons also began the second half with purpose but a dazzling 80-metre turnover score finished off by a flying Paul Sackey breathed timely fresh life into Wasps. Defeat for Bath at Gloucester on Saturday would do their cause no harm either.
Newcastle A Tait; Phillips, May, Visser, Rudd; Jones, Charlton; Ward, Thompson, Hayman, Perry, Sorenson, Dowson (capt), B Wilson, Winter.
Tries May, Phillips. Pen May.
Wasps Flutey; Sackey, Waters, Waldouck, Lewsey; Cipriani, Reddan; Payne, Ward, Barnard, Skivington, Birkett, Haskell, Rees, Hart (capt).
Tries Haskell, Rees, Sackey, Lewsey. Pens Cipriani 2. Cons Cipriani 3.
Referee R Debney (RFU). Att 10,200.
