Inch-perfect Cipriani sees Wasps home

Wasps welcomed back their international contingent with a night out at a comedy club in Battersea last Sunday. It was not exactly a barrel of laughs for Danny Cipriani and Co when they returned to club action in the cold at Murrayfield last night. Still, they managed to produce a winning performance on the Heineken Cup stage. Only just, though.

With 10 minutes remaining of their Pool Two encounter in the Scottish capital, Wasps were 16-15 behind and on the verge of a tournament exit. Then, just as Andy Robinson’s side were threatening to administer another of their Murrayfield muggings, Ross Rennie, their openside flanker, was sent to the cooler for a borderline tackle on Paul Sackey.

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Robinson was not amused with Christophe Berdos, the referee. Cipriani kicked the penalty – a sixth success out of six for the demoted England fly-half – and Wasps were in front, 18-16. Then, with two minutes to go, came the salt in Edinburgh’s wound: a pushover try, scored by Tom Rees, with the home pack still a man down. Cipriani’s conversion lent the scoreboard a distinctly flattering look for the stuttering English champions.

Wasps had been first to score, Rennie getting penalised for not releasing in a ruck and Cipriani sent the kick between the posts from 40 metres. They struggled to make headway thereafter, until Edinburgh’s discipline threatened to desert them midway through the first half.

After 22 minutes, Andy Kelly was penalised for diving over the top of a ruck and three minutes later Chris Paterson was punished for holding on to the ball at the bottom of a ruck. Cipriani converted both penalty attempts and then landed his fourth on the half hour. Edinburgh needed to strike back and did so before half-time with a Paterson penalty. Then twice in the opening five minutes of the second-half Wasps conceded penalties and Paterson landed them both. That cut the gap to 12-9. But Cipriani made it five out of five with his left boot in the 58th minute, though the momentum remained with Edinburgh.

Three minutes later Robinson’s men were in front for the first time. Phil Godman chipped a kick into the right corner and Mark Roberston applied downward pressure to the bouncing ball. Paterson converted and Edinburgh were 16-15 up.

The 7,711 crowd – a club record for Edinburgh – sensed a famous home victory to go alongside those inflicted on Leinster and Leicester in the Heineken Cup last season. Sadly for them, and for the raging Robinson, it was not to be.

In Pool One Sale Sharks beat Montauban 36-6 at Edgeley Park last night, while in Pool Six, at Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff Blues overcame Biarritz 21-17.

Edinburgh: Try: Robertson. Conversion: Paterson. Penalties: Paterson 3. Wasps: Try: Rees. Conversion: Cipriani. Penalties: Cipriani 6.

Edinburgh: Paterson; Robertson, Cairns, De Luca, Webster; Godman, M Blair (capt); Jacobsen, Ford (Kelly, 19), G Cross (Kerr, 75), C Hamilton (Mustchin, 59), J Hamilton, MacDonald, Rennie, Hogg.

Wasps: Van Gisbergen; Sackey, Waldouck, Flutey, Lewsey; Cipriani, Reddan; Payne, Webber, Vickery (capt), Skivington (Shaw, 54), Birkett, Betsen, Rees (Hart, 80), Haskell.

Referee: C Berdos (France).