Premiership: Harlequins 26-21 Wasps

Fly-half Nick Evans (left) scored 21 of Harlequins' 26 points

Harlequins held off a late fightback from Wasps to win on the opening night of the Premiership season.

Jake Cooper-Woolley scored for the visitors early on before Quins fly-half Nick Evans crossed in the corner, on his way to a crucial 21-point haul.

George Lowe's try and Evans' kicking gave the hosts a 12-point lead, before Elliot Daly brought Wasps back into it.

The visitors pressed late on but could not find a way through and had to settle for a losing bonus point.

Wasps, hoping to improve on their sixth-place finish from last season, scored the first try of the night when prop Cooper-Woolley forced his way over.

Harlequins captain Nick Evans's first-half try put the hosts in front for the first time in the game

Evans ran in on 24 minutes after a fine chip from Karl Dickson, to give the hosts - who gave debuts to former British and Irish Lion Adam Jones and ex-Australia captain James Horwill - a lead they kept for the remainder of the night.

Quins stretched their advantage through Lowe and, when Evans kicked his fourth penalty with seven minutes remaining, the win looked safe.

Wasps had other ideas, as Christian Wade and Brendan Macken combined to feed Daly for a slick, converted try, but the home side held on.

Harlequins director of rugby Conor O'Shea:

"I am disappointed that we didn't win by more in the end because I thought we dominated the game and played some really good stuff.

"That's as well as we've played first game of the season in the six seasons I've been here.

"We have loads to work on, but we're going to be a good side this year."

Wasps director of rugby Dai Young:

"You've got to give Quins a lot of credit. They were far more clinical than us.

"I thought we had a lot of possession in the right areas, we had something like six minutes inside their 22 (in one spell) and came away with very little.

"We didn't play well, you've got to play well to get the victory here."

Harlequins: Lindsay-Hague; Yarde, Lowe, Sloan, Walker; Evans (capt), Dickson; Lambert, Ward, Jones, Horwill, Twomey, Clifford, Wallace, Luamanu.

Replacements: Gray, Marler, Sinckler, Matthews, Easter, Tebaldi, Botica, Brown.

Wasps: Miller; Wade, Daly, Macken, Bassett; Gopperth, Simpson; Mullan (capt), Johnson, Cooper-Woolley, Cannon, Gaskell, Jones, Smith, Hughes.

Replacements: Festuccia, McIntyre, Swainston, Myall, Young, Robson, Jackson, Tagicakibau.