Premiership: Wasps 10-16 London Irish - Exiles inflict a fourth loss in five on Wasps

London Irish won at Wasps for the second successive season

Beaten Premiership finalists Wasps lost for the fourth time in five games as London Irish came away from the Ricoh Arena with a 16-10 victory.

Tom Willis scored for Wasps from close range late on in a scrappy first half.

Ollie Hassell-Collins dived over for Irish 10 minutes after the break after some quick hands as the Exiles impressed in the second period.

Paddy Jackson's late penalty sealed a fourth victory of the season for Irish, who stay in seventh place.

Wasps' losing bonus point sees them leapfrog Leicester into eighth place in the table after the Tigers lost at Bristol.

Paddy Jackson kicked two penalties for Irish while Jacob Umaga got one back for Wasps as both sides made mistakes in the opening period.

James Gaskell was held up over the line by the Irish defence in the seventh minute while Tom Parton had a couple of dangerous runs for the visitors.

Irish missed a great chance to score just after the break as Nick Phipps fumbled a poor pass from Theo Brophy-Clews after Umaga's kick was charged down, while soon after Juan de Jongh stepped into touch when the Wasps back looked to be through.

But Irish had the better of the play as the half went on and they would have added to Hassell-Collins' try had they have not made mistakes when in dangerous areas.

Wasps almost won it in stoppage time after winning a penalty and kicking for a five-metre line-out, but former Scotland forward Blair Cowan won a penalty at the breakdown for Irish a metre from the line to seal victory.

Wasps director of rugby Lee Blackett:

"I thought in the first half we should have been further ahead.

"In the second half, there were positive signs in the desire that I expect from Wasps players to defend their line and that 20 minutes where we were under relentless pressure was a pleasing aspect of it.

"It was an improved performance from last week [at Leicester], but we know that the game is about winning games.

"Unfortunately, we've come out on the wrong side of things today - there were a lot more positives than last week, but still plenty of improvement [is needed]."

London Irish director of rugby Declan Kidney:

"We should have had a bit more composure, I think, in the second half.

"We were making things difficult for ourselves at the end there - we took a big turnover, two penalties into the corner and that was the story of the first half as well.

"We put ourselves under pressure and gave them about five or six shots at us with penalties into the corner, so the fact that we've managed to hold them out so well is pleasing, but we have to take a look at how we're getting ourselves into those positions.

"But any time that you can win away from home, pick up four points and still have so much to improve, I'll definitely take that any day."

Wasps: Minozzi; Kibirige, De Jongh, Le Bourgeois, Bassett; Umaga, Porter; West, Cruse, Toomaga-Allen, Rowlands, Gaskell, Shields (capt), Oghre, T Willis.

Replacements: Taylor, Harris, Thomas, Douglas, Vailanu, Vellacott, Atkinson, Gopperth.

London Irish: Parton; Loader, Rona, Brophy Clews, Hassell-Collins; Jackson, Phipps; Dell, Creevy, Hoskins, Mafi, Nott, O'Brien, Donnell, Rogerson (capt).

Replacements: Cornish, Goodrick-Clarke, Chawatama, Simmons, Cowan, Meehan, Hepetema, Joseph.

Referee: Hamish Smales (RFU).

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