ENGLISH PREMIERSHIP SEMI-FINAL: Wasps 21 Bath 10:LAWRENCE DALLAGLIO'S 18-year senior career with Wasps will end at Twickenham in the Premiership play-off final at the end of this month but he marked his final home appearance by revealing a side to his game that had rarely received an airing.

After Wasps had scored their third and final try to put them two scores ahead of Bath, the number eight received the kick-off in his own 25 and, with a punt out of a outhalf's manual, found touch on halfway.

Danny Cipriani was by then on his way to hospital with a suspected broken ankle on a sweet and sour afternoon for Wasps.

Their achievement in reaching their fourth play-off final in six years was offset by injuries to Cipriani, Tom Voyce and Tim Payne, and James Haskell limped off in stoppage-time. Financial constraints mean they operate one of the smallest squads in the Premiership; with Phil Vickery and Dave Walder already ruled out for the rest of the season, team selection for the final should not take long.

Yet the injury that had most impact on the outcome came during the build-up to Bath's try, which opened the scoring on 30 minutes. The visitors' England flanker Michael Lipman took a blow to the mouth, needing 10 stitches in his lip, after his side had won an attacking lineout and driven to the line. His slow march off the field was a sign he would not merely be visiting the blood-bin and he was replaced by a secondrow, Peter Short, because the reserve backrow, Chris Goodman, injured his groin during the warm-up.

Bath's seven-point lead was the least they deserved after dominating territory and possession early on but the loss of arguably the Premiership's leading open-side this season altered the balance of the game.

Wasps could not get a foothold. Their lineout was initially a productive source of possession for the opposition. It took the home side 24 minutes to secure their own throw and Bath also imposed themselves up front, earning early penalties from both the Wasps props, but for all their possession and dominance they struggled to cope with the blitz defence.

Their one try came from a mistake when Josh Lewsey dropped a Cipriani pass behind his own line and watched Alex Crockett fall on the ball, but otherwise the side with the sharpest attacking edge in the Premiership this season were blunted, overload replacing offload as runners found themselves ushered up blind alleys.

Wasps spent the majority of the match without the ball but they took immediate advantage of Lipman's injury, scoring a try within two minutes of the wing forward departing, with a second following six minutes later.

Fraser Waters scored the first, cutting inside Danny Grewcock after Wasps had won four consecutive rucks, before Riki Flutey found space in the corner after Sackey had been tackled short.

Wasps led 14-7 at the interval, against the run of play, but even as injuries disrupted the home side in the second period a weary fatalism seemed to settle on Bath. Even when they pulled to within four points after Barkley finally landed a penalty they still struggled.

In contrast Wasps were clinical and they sealed victory 22 minutes from the end when Waters freed Voyce. The wing covered 40 yards before being hauled down short of the line by James; despite dislocating his left shoulder in the tackle, Voyce made the ball available for his scrumhalf, Eoin Reddan, who popped a pass to the onrushing Tom Palmer for the try that sapped Bath's resolve.

WASPS: Lewsey; Sackey, Waters, Flutey, Voyce; Cipriani, Reddan; Payne, Ward, Barnard; Shaw, Palmer; Haskell, Rees, Dallaglio. Replacements: McMillan for Voyce (59), van Gisbergen for Cipriani (49), Worsley for Payne (65), Buckland for Ward (28), French for Barnard (56), Birkett for Haskell (76), Hart for Dallaglio (65). Sinbinned: Waters (70).

BATH: Maddock; Higgins, Crockett, Barkley, Banahan; James, Claassens; Barnes, Dixon, Stevens; Borthwick, Grewcock; Faamatuainu, Lipman, Browne. Replacements: Walshe for Claassens (76), Flatman for Barnes (57), Bell for Stevens (76).

Referee: C Wright(RFU).

• Guardian Service