RUGBY: Matt Dawson last night gave the eagerly-awaited European Cup rematch between Leicester and Wasps added spice by issuing a verbal riposte to his England rival Harry Ellis. Wasps star Dawson believes Ellis tried to "rough him up" during Sunday's thrilling Pool One battle between the clubs that Leicester won 37-31.

The victory put Tigers in pole position to secure quarter-final status at Wasps' expense. If they complete a quickfire double at Welford Road next Sunday, then it would leave Dawson and company reeling. "Harry had obviously made the decision to get in my face and try to rough me up a bit," said Wasps scrumhalf Dawson, of his opposite number. "But I am little bit more old school. I will defend myself, but I am not going to get involved in stuff like that."

Dawson must overcome a calf muscle injury to take his place in the Wasps starting line-up, and he knows the reigning European champions are up against it.

"We have to look at ourselves and make sure we get ourselves right for next week," he said. "We have made life very difficult for ourselves, and there is no question Leicester will be favourites next week. But we have got to be optimistic, get our heads down and work really hard this week."

Hooker Phil Greening is another injury concern for Wasps after he went off nursing a knee problem, but Leicester would appear to have emerged unscathed from one of the great European Cup battles.

"I thought for 20 or 25 minutes in the first-half we were absolutely outstanding," said Leicester coach John Wells, recalling a golden spell that featured tries by Lewis Moody, Geordan Murphy and Martin Corry.

"But Wasps aren't the Heineken Cup and Zurich Premiership champions for nothing, and they kept coming back at us. I thought the penalties we conceded kept them in the game. I know that our discipline can be better, and we need to tidy up other aspects of our game if we want to beat them again.

"If we don't do that, then Wasps are a good enough team to turn us over on our own patch."

Biarritz, meanwhile, who could still end up topping Pool One ahead of Leicester and Wasps, have suffered a double injury blow.

Their French international wing Jimmy Marlu and Argentine centre Federico Martin Arramburu are both likely to miss next Saturday's encounter against Calvisano in Italy.