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Christian Wade will never score an easier try than the one he claimed at the RDS last weekend in Wasps record breaking 33-6 win over Leinster Rugby. - 20/11/2015 11:16
Christian Wade will never score an easier try than the one he claimed at the RDS last weekend in Wasps record breaking 33-6 win over Leinster Rugby.
The man with the quickest feet in northern hemisphere rugby merely had to give chase to Joe Simpson box kick and watch opposite number Dave Kearney make a terrible hash of things in his 22 before the ball bounced up the Wasps winger’s hands for the first of three tries for the visitors.
Wade had scored at the RDS the previous year in the Champions Cup and now has three tries in five games in that tournament and 12 in 17 outings in Europe overall. But the England flyer knows that with Bryan Habana and
Drew Mitchell lying in wait for him this weekend at the Ricoh Arena things might be a bit different.
After the false start to the defence of their Champions Cup title last weekend, when their home clash with Bath Rugby was postponed because of the atrocities in Paris, RC Toulon will be hoping to have a number of their World Cup stars back in harness and raring to go. It promises to be an epic occasion at the Ricoh and a real test for Dai Young’s burgeoning side.
RC Toulon have won 11 of the 12 matches they have played against Aviva Premiership opposition in the Champions Cup ad have lost only three times in 27 games over the past three seasons – all of them away from home.
The enormity of the match is not lost on Wade, who was missing when Wasps went to Stade Felix Mayol last season for the quarter-finals. They were beaten 32-18 on that occasion.
“It was a massive win for us in Leinster, especially having gone there last year and come up short. We had to put in a big, 80 minute performance and we were able to do that,” Wade told Wasps TV.
“We want to show that we deserve to be in the Champions Cup and we want to be competing against the best teams in Europe. We have the belief and confidence to go out there and beat anyone.
“We need to be aware of their threats, but we will just have to deal with that comes at us on the day. I believe we have the ability to compete with anyone.
“With the team we've got, we have the belief that we can go out there and beat anyone. Without belief, when it comes down to the small percentages, you're going to come up short.”
Match Facts
- Toulon won their only previous Champions Cup match against Wasps 32-18 in last season’s quarter-final.
- Wasps have won three of their last four matches against French opposition with their quarter-final defeat against Toulon last season being the only blemish in that run.
- Wasps have won 17 and drawn two of their last 20 home matches in the Champions Cup, though they’ve won just one of their last three.
- Toulon have won four of their last five away matches in the Champions Cup, conceding fewer than 10 points in three of those five matches.
Wasps got their revenge for last season's quarter-final defeat with a stunning bonus-point victory over three-time champions Toulon. - 22/11/2015 19:08
Wasps got their revenge for last season’s quarter-final defeat with a stunning bonus-point victory over three-time champions Toulon.
Two tries in two minutes in the first half put Dai Young’s side in complete control against the French giants and two more after the break ensured a famous victory at the Ricoh Arena.
Toulon had only lost three times in their previous 27 fixtures in the Champions Cup but they had no answer for Wasps’ pace and power in attack.
The victory puts Wasps five points clear of Bath at the top of the so-called ‘pool of death’ with Leinster in third with one point after two defeats and Toulon still pointless after just one game.
Scrum-half Jonathan Pelissie had missed an early penalty to put the visitors in front and they were soon reeling from a double blow from the home side.
Wing Frank Halai split the Toulon defence with a surging run and when the ball was recycled Ruaridh Jackson floated a long ball out wide to put number eight Hughes over in the corner.
Two minutes later Wasps had their second try when Jackson’s chip over the Toulon defensive line was collected by Joe Simpson, he found James Gaskell on his shoulder and the second row put Jackson clear to go under the posts.
Pelissie clawed back three points with a penalty after quarter if an hour but the home side quickly restored their advantage with a long range one of their own from Elliot Daly.
Jackson and Pelissie then exchanged penalties before the break to puts Wasps 20-6 up at the interval.
After a quiet 10 minutes of the second period the game burst into life once again when All Black duo Charles Piutau and Halai combined with two brilliant runs to send the latter under the posts for his first try.
Wasps’ ruthlessness in attack was matched by their ferociousness in defence with England flanker James Haskell and George Smith among those to produce stand-out performances.
The home side deserved a bonus point for their superb all-round play and it came 15 minutes from time when Hughes crashed over for his second of the game from a driving line-out.
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