ONCE he has embellished the tale, Lawrence Dallaglio’s dropped goal that helped London Wasps finally to get off the mark in the Zurich Premiership last night will have soared over in a towering arc from the half-way line. As it was, the former England captain’s little-known deft boot was an undeniably impressive effort from 25 metres, before his reluctant departure a few minutes later with a “popped” rib.
Far from dithering as the ball was passed back in space, Dallaglio shunned the instinct to get his head down and immediately took aim. His marksman’s eye, a new and untested weapon in the No 8’s armoury, contributed an important three points as the champions rode out Leeds Tykes’ second-half storm far from convincingly following opening losses to Saracens and Sale Sharks. A more proficient attack could have left them seriously embarrassed.
If their defence looked reasonably comfortable in holding Leeds out, the manner of a first league victory was a severe disappointment after some early pyrotechnics strangely fizzled out. Leeds, despite a third successive defeat and the fact that they have not won at home since last December, were at least satisfied in collecting a second bonus point, which looked highly unlikely as Wasps shifted the ball with abandon in the first 40 minutes.
Their one try was a beauty after an early exhange of penalties by Gordon Ross and Alex King. Crisp handling on the right wing opened up space on the left as Tom Voyce took a peach of a pass by Mark Van Gisbergen at pace, accelerated past three defenders and found the full square figure of the unmarked Will Green up on his shoulder, a tribute to the prop’s alertness and fitness.
The workrate of Jonny O’Connor on the fringes and Peter Richards’s box of tricks in midfield kept Wasps on the front foot, although they were ill-served by Phil Greening’s throwing to a confused lineout, which surrendered possession five times before the break, and by general indiscipline in allowing Leeds to keep in touch through Ross’s boot. They turned round four points behind.
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No one could have foreseen that Dallaglio’s Jonny Wilkinson impersonation would be the end of the visiting team’s scoring. As the game wore on, their confidence with ball in hand was regularly misplaced against opponents who were even more careless in the face of Wasps’ familiarly aggressive defence. On three occasions within fifteen minutes of the resumption, they were turned over inches from Wasps’ line. Frustration, ultimately, was their undoing.
Sunday night rugby was certainly no panacea for Leeds’s problems. Yorkshire having concluded their miserable cricket season on the adjacent pitch three hours earlier, the Tykes’ campaign is threatening to go the same way. Too often it was forwards and not backs who emerged in space and Ross interspersed fine kicking with the odd howler.
Dallaglio is Wasps’ seventh injured international, but the London club are at least off and running in their triple championship quest. The race is no longer about the quickest, as they have proved twice already; the hares will be conscious that the tortoise has left the traps.
SCORERS: Leeds Tykes: Penalty goals: Ross 3 (3min, 20, 34). London Wasps: Try: Green (15). Conversion: King. Penalty goal: King (10). Dropped goal: Dallaglio (30).
SCORING SEQUENCE (Leeds Tykes first): 3-0, 3-3, 3-10, 6-10, 6-13, 9-13 (half time).
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LEEDS TYKES: M Cardey (rep: T Biggs, 68); D Rees, P Christophers, A Snyman, D Albanese; G Ross, A Dickens (sin-bin, 23-33); M Shelley, M Regan (rep: R Rawlinson, 64), G Kerr, C Murphy, T Palmer, J Dunbar (rep: S Hooper, 60), D Hyde (rep: R Parks, 50), C Rigney.
LONDON WASPS: M Van Gisbergen; M Priscott (rep: J Brooks, 60), A Erinle, P Richards, T Voyce; A King, M Dawson; T Payne, P Greening (rep: B Gotting, 60), W Green (rep: A Mckenzie, 60), J Hart, R Birkett, J Worsley, J O’Connor, L Dallaglio (rep: M Lock, 38).
Referee: C White.