London Wasps proved too strong for a young Bristol side in the Powergen Cup
sixth round as they ran in seven tries to one at the Memorial Stadium with
full-back Tom Voyce claiming a hat-trick.
Both sides went into the game after defeats the previous week with Bristol
Shoguns going down 23-10 in Division One at London Welsh while Wasps lost 32-22
at Leicester in the Premiership. The two sides had met twice before in the Cup
with the honours even.
The visitors included former Bristol players Tim Payne at tighthead prop,
Peter Richards in the centre plus acting captain Mark Denney in the centre while
centre Fraser Waters started from the bench.
Bristol, with the exception of skipper Dave Hilton, are all in their early 20s
and the majority in their first season of senior rugby.
The Shoguns looked set to take an early lead when scrum-half Paul Hodgson
broke from a scrum close to his own line. He hacked up field but full-back Voyce
beat him to the ball and from the ruck Bristol were awarded a penalty and kicked
to touch.
From the lineout Bristol drove towards the Wasps line but a fight broke out
and lock Ollie Hodge was yellow carded by referee David Rose. Wasps were awarded
a penalty and were able to clear up the field.
But Bristol again pegged the Premiership side back into their own half as
James Bailey came off the left wing to join the line at outside centre and fed
full-back Sean Marsden, but right wing Michael Griffiths was bundled into touch
10 metres short of the line.
Fly-half Mark van Gisbergen was wide with a 35-metre penalty but Wasps scored
two tries in a three-minute spell with Voyce scoring the first midway through
the half in the right corner after a break from his own 22 by Richards. Ally
Mackenzie claimed the second in the left corner.
Van Gisbergen failed with both conversion attempts and his opposite number
Danny Gray was wide with a 20-metre penalty on the half hour.
Wasps were reduced to 14 men just before the interval when openside flanker
Johnny O'Connor was the second player to spend time in the sin-bin, this time
for punching.
The teams exchanged penalties with van Gisbergen landing his first success
from 30 metres out and Gray from 25 metres on the stroke of half-time with the
visitors 13-3 in front.
It was 13 minutes before the second-half stalemate was ended as Wasps again
scored two tries in a three-minute spell with van Gisbergen scoring the first
and Voyce the second as they split a weak defence with van Gisbergen converting
both.
With the game going into the final quarter Bristol were awarded a series of
penalties close to the Wasps line and they finally worked it wide with Gray
giving a long pass to Marsden who fed Bailey, who has scored in the previous
three rounds, to score in the corner.
But Wasps came back quickly with two more tries with prop Tim Payne scoring
the first and Voyce completing his hat-trick, and centre John Rudd adding
another on the stroke of full-time.
Teams:
Bristol: Marsden, Griffiths, Higgitt, Hawker, Bailey, Gray,
Hodgson, Hilton, N. Clarke, Hobson, Kohn, Hodge, Styles,
Morgan, Martin-Redman.
Replacements: Hunt for Kohn (24).
Not Used: Nicholls, Nelson, Billig, A. Clarke, Hook, Gerry.
Sin Bin: Hodge (6).
Tries: Bailey.
Pens: Gray.
Wasps: Voyce, Roiser, Erinle, Denney, Rudd, van Gisbergen,
Richards, Mackenzie, Leota, Payne, Purdy, Skivington, Haskell,
O'Connor, Clarke.
Not Used: Howley, Waters, Rees, Gotting, Scrivener, Hart,
S. Green.
Tries: Voyce 3, Mackenzie, van Gisbergen, Payne, Rudd.
Cons: van Gisbergen 3, Waters.
Pens: van Gisbergen.
Sin Bin: O'Connor (37).
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