Sport

Sting in the tail as Wasps crash out

Castres 21 Wasps 15: IN THE end, the mathematicians were not required

MICHAEL AYLWIN At Stade Pierre Antoine
Mon Jan 26 2009 - 00:00

Castres 21 Wasps 15:IN THE end, the mathematicians were not required. Wasps had to win in south-west France to enter the equation for a quarter-final place as one of the Heineken Cup's two best pool runners-up, and it proved too tough a task.

The Premiership champions were seething afterwards, feeling they had let Castres off the hook with their poor finishing. They did indeed spill two clear-cut chances in the second half, the second of which could have put them eight points clear, but Castres were well worth their win. The French club, who had no chance of progressing, missed a few chances of their own and were twice held up over the line by a desperate Wasps defence.

And so another prospect of silverware has been closed off to England’s champions. Their only hope now is to make the Premiership play-offs and win the title from there, a concept they know more about than any.

Here they were killed off by a try with barely five minutes to go. They had just taken the lead for the first time, when Dominic Waldouck showed commendable skills to finish off a quickly-tapped penalty. Shortly after that Dave Walder, on for Danny Cipriani, broke clear, but his pass was spilled by Mark van Gisbergen with the tryline laughing at him.

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It felt as if they had blown it. Paul Sackey had been implicated in Wasps’ other great miss earlier, when Rob Webber fumbled his unforgiving inside pass with the line at his mercy, and now Sackey was down injured as play continued. Thomas Bouquie was able to hare towards the line, through a hole that might have been filled by the stricken winger. Bouquie went clean through Van Gisbergen’s weak attempt at a tackle and round for a try between the posts. Now the game really seemed over.

Wasps mounted one last tilt, but Castres absorbed their efforts with a bit to spare.

CASTRES: Bouquie; Bonnefond, Kefu, Mazars (Sanchou, 61), Cabello; Teulet (Lagardere, 80), Tillous-Borde (Senio, ht); Hoeft (Terrain, 61), Giorgadze, Ducalcon (Staibano, 55), Nallet (capt; Michaud, ht), Kulemin, Malonga (Faure, 53), Masoe, Tekori.

London Wasps: Van Gisbergen; Sackey, Waldouck (Voyce, 67), Flutey, Lewsey; Cipriani (Walder, 68), Reddan (Simpson, 77); Payne (Leo, 63), Webber (Ward, 59), Vickery (capt), Shaw (Skivington, 55), Birkett, Worsley, Betsen, Haskell.

Referee: A Lewis (Ireland).

Guardian Service