Premiership: Wasps 35-22 Gloucester
- Published
Aviva Premiership |
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Wasps (15) 35 |
Tries: Gopperth 3, Le Roux, Wade Cons: Gopperth 2 Pens: Gopperth 2 |
Gloucester (10) 22 |
Tries: Hook, Halaifonua, Scott Cons: Twelvetrees 2 Pens: Twelvetrees |
Jimmy Gopperth scored a hat-trick as Premiership leaders Wasps secured a bonus-point win over Gloucester.
Kiwi Gopperth crossed out wide and from a driving maul in between James Hook's try, as Wasps led 15-10 at half-time.
David Halaifonua scored just after the break for the Cherry and Whites before South Africa international Willie Le Roux replied on his first start.
Max Scott burst through to give Gloucester hope, but Gopperth's third and Christian Wade's try proved enough.
Gopperth scored 25 of Wasps' points in a game where Gloucester kept in touch until the closing stages.
Dai Young's side have gone six points clear at the top of the table and have now won their last 15 league games in Coventry, since Saracens were victorious in December 2015.
After his debut as a replacement in the loss at Sale, winger Le Roux made his full debut for Wasps and showed some classy touches before he crossed from close range.
The Cherry and Whites sit in ninth after the defeat, and have lost their last five away games in the Premiership.
Wasps director of rugby Dai Young:
"The last couple of weeks has rocked us a little bit, and how we responded to that bump in the road was always going to be a measure of where we are as a team.
"We felt a bit of pressure today, and nerves and anxiety, which crept into our game a bit early on, but hopefully this win gets us back with a bit more belief and a smile on our face.
"We scored in the dying seconds so it was really a one-score game, although I never felt we were going to lose it, and always thought we had a bit spare.
"While we weren't outstanding today we found a way to win and put ourselves in a good position moving forward to next week."
Gloucester director of rugby David Humphreys told BBC Radio Gloucestershire:
"I thought for large parts of the game were very good and we played some great rugby, with some great tries.
"The last five minutes just before half-time cost us and those are the small margins against the very good teams.
"When you're playing against a team with that x-factor that Wasps have we felt like every time we scored and got back in there, we conceded very quickly.
"There was so much good in the game but to beat the best teams you have to cut down the errors."
Wasps: Beale; Wade, Gopperth, Eastmond, Le Roux; Cipriani, Simpson; Mullan (capt), Taylor, Cooper-Woolley, Symons, Gaskell, Johnson, Young, Rieder.
Replacements: Festuccia, McIntyre, Moore, Rowlands, Willis, Robson, Leiua, Bassett.
Gloucester: Marshall; Sharples, Scott, Twelvetrees, Halaifonua; Hook, Heinz (capt); Hohneck, Hibbard, Doran-Jones, Savage, Thrush, Ludlow, Rowan, Morgan.
Replacements: Matu'u, Orr, Afoa, Galarza, Kalamafoni, Braley, Trinder, Purdy.
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