Bath captain Danny Grewcock could miss England's summer tour of Australia and
New Zealand after he was sent off for punching Wasps skipper Lawrence Dallaglio
in a one-sided Parker Pen Challenge Cup final at the Madejski Stadium.
Grewcock rained a series of blows on the top of Dallaglio's head, who was
trapped at the bottom of a second-half ruck.
A furious Dallaglio couldn't conceal his anger as England team-mate Grewcock
departed.
It was the lock's second red card this season - Grewcock saw a five-week ban
quashed last September when a Rugby Football Union appeal panel ruled that he
had not kicked Saracens scrum-half Kyran Bracken during a Zurich Premiership
game.
But a ban now looms, with television footage clearly revealing the extent of
his actions.
The whole episode casts doubt over his availability for Tests against New
Zealand in Wellington on June 14 and Australia at Melbourne's Docklands Stadium
a week later.
The sending-off overshadowed a game dominated by Wasps' forwards and an
exciting back division that bristled with flair and adventure.
Dallaglio's men scored six tries - Josh Lewsey, Fraser Waters, Phil Greening,
Kenny Logan, Trevor Leota and Bath-bound Martyn Wood touching down - while
fly-half Alex King kicked 18 points.
Bath had their moments - Olly Barkley, James Scaysbrook, Mike Tindall and Iain
Balshaw collecting tries - but they were second-best in virtually every
department.
Wasps' triumph sends fifth-placed Premiership finishers Leeds into next
season's Heineken Cup, joining Wasps, Gloucester, Northampton and Sale Sharks,
with the sixth place to be filled next weekend by Premiership wild card final
opponents Leicester or Saracens.
Wasps rugby director Warren Gatland rested international trio Rob Howley,
Logan and Leota to the bench, underlining the importance of his team's
Premiership play-off final against Gloucester at Twickenham next Saturday.
A back problem ruled out Bath number eight Nathan Thomas, while wing Tom Voyce
made his final appearance for the west country club before joining Wasps next
season.
Barkley booted Bath into an eighth-minute lead when he landed a 50-metre
penalty, but poor discipline immediately cost them dear.
Referee Nigel Williams yellow-carded Irish international centre Kevin Maggs
for use of the boot on Dallaglio, and with Bath temporarily down to 14 men,
Wasps struck.
King's 12th-minute penalty tied the scores as Wasps' forwards took charge, and
right-wing Lewsey powered over between the posts for their opening try of a
devastating scoring burst.
King converted, and also added the extra points nine minutes later when Stuart
Abbott jinked through Bath's midfield defence and sent his centre partner Waters
racing clear for another touchdown.
Bath didn't know what had hit them, but Wasps continued turning the screw and
they pounced again, albeit from an unlikely source.
Barkley threw out an intended pass on halfway to centre Tindall, but it didn't
arrive, courtesy of Greening's interception and 40-metre sprint to the line.
King once again converted.
Bath, who also lost hooker Jonathan Humphreys through injury, were in danger
of being submerged until Barkley gave them a glimmer of hope just before the
break.
Barkley's vision and skill enabled him to jink past Wasps flanker Paul Volley
for a superb solo score, and the conversion - plus a long-range penalty on 39
minutes - reduced Wasps' advantage to 11 points at half-time.
The Barkley-inspired fightback was short-lived though, and Wasps took another
giant stride towards victory within two minutes of the restart.
Bath's defence came apart at the seams, allowing Wood to scamper 20 metres for
a try on probably his last Wasps start.
King continued his 100% success-rate of conversions, yet Bath displayed
admirable determination to respond through a well-worked lineout move that ended
with substitute Scaysbrook touching down.
But Bath were their own worst enemies, proving unable to string consistent
passages of play together, and another midfield bungle saw Wasps capitalise with
try number five.
Substitute Logan hacked the ball clear, and won his race for the line by
combining pace and strength to shrug off three Bath defenders.
King converted and kicked another penalty to confirm Wasps' overwhelming
superiority on a day that Bath - and Grewcock - will want to quickly forget.
Tindall bagged a consolation score, yet Wasps completed a ruthless demolition
job through replacement Leota's 73rd-minute touchdown, despite Balshaw having
the final word with a try that he also converted.
Teams:
Bath: Perry, Balshaw, Maggs, Tindall, Voyce, Catt, Cooper,
Barnes, Humphreys, Mallett, Borthwick, Grewcock, G. Thomas,
Beattie, Lyle.
Not Used: Blake, Mears, Stevens, Barkley, Seveali'i,
Scaysbrook, Delve.
Tries: Balshaw, Tindall, Barkley, Scaysbrook.
Cons: Barkley.
Pens: Barkley 2.
Wasps: van Gisbergen, Lewsey, Waters, Abbott, Rudd, A. King,
Wood, Dowd, Greening, W. Green, Shaw, Birkett, Worsley, Volley,
Dallaglio.
Not Used: Howley, Logan, Erinle, Lock, Scrivener, Mackenzie,
Leota.
Tries: Lewsey, Waters, Wood, Greening, Logan, Leota.
Cons: A. King 6.
Pens: A. King 2.
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