This largely disappointing contest was more thud and blunder than subtle finesse, but that won't matter one jot to Matt Dawson and to Wasps, who were shorn of seven international players but still had the wherewithal to steal a one-point win.
Alas for Northampton, it was a third successive defeat and, more worrying from a Saints point of view, they played with such little vision and flair that Alan Solomons, their head coach, described his charges as 'tactically inept and the authors of their own misfortune'. He was not wrong.
It was, of course, a return to Franklin's Gardens for Dawson, who left Northampton for Wasps in the summer after being usurped by onetime All Black Mark Robinson as first-choice scrum-half.
There was also the small matter of the impending arrival of Corne Krige, the former South Africa captain, who was branded by Dawson in his autobiography as 'thug in chief' after England played the Springboks in the savage encounter at Twickenham two years ago. The pair would have made uneasy bedfellows at Northampton, that much is for sure, so Dawson's departure was almost inevitable.
Quite rightly, after a Saints career that spanned the best part of 13 years and included 247 games, Dawson was given a terrific welcome by the Franklin's Gardens faithful. But that was as far as the niceties went in a tryless first half in which both sides committed a litany of handling mistakes in slippery conditions.
Dawson's first act, in the opening minute, was to kick the ball straight to Bruce Reihana and the Wasps scrum-half conceded the penalty from which Shane Drahm gave Northampton an early lead. But those blemishes and a couple of knock-ons apart, Dawson enjoyed a solid game in testing circumstances.
With time and space at a premium in a crowded midfield, try-scoring opportunities were an endangered species. So Northampton, at least in the first half, were grateful for the contribution of Drahm, who struck three successful penalties to give the home side a 9-3 interval lead. In contrast, Alex King and Mark Van Gisbergen missed three between them.
Ed Thrower, a close-season recruit from London Irish, came on as a half-time replacement for Wasps and his converted touchdown helped the visiting side into a match-winning lead within 45 seconds of the restart. It was a try of simplicity - a line-out, a break by Peter Richards through some shoddy tackling, and Thrower accepted Van Gisbergen's inside pass to slide over.
Thereafter, Northampton dominated possession, but their inability to make positive use of it played into the hands of Wasps, whose defensive duties were wonderfully marshalled by Lawrence Dallaglio and Jonny O'Connor.
The Saints wasted two or three half-chances to cross the line and Drahm missed two more goal attempts, but Wasps were worthy winners.
'I think it is one of our best ever results,' said Warren Gatland, their director of rugby, who was missing, among others, Craig Dowd, Simon Shaw, Rob Howley and Stuart Abbott from his line-up. 'To win without conceding a try was impressive, particularly as Northampton had the edge on us up front.'
It could scarcely have been a more fruitful return for Dawson.
NORTHAMPTON: Reihana; Rudd (Cohen 60), Tucker, Stcherbina (Clarke 64), Human; Drahm, Robinson; Smith, Thompson, Kempson, Boome, Lord (Browne 70), Fox, Krige (capt), Blowers.
LONDON WASPS: Van Gisbergen; Roberts, (Thrower h-t), Richards, Hoadley, Voyce; King (Brooks 65), Dawson; McKenzie (Nwume 79), Greening (Leota 70), Payne, Hart, Birkett, Worsley, O'Connor, Dallaglio (capt).
Referee: A Rowden
