McGeechan suggests new cup format

However bad this match was, and dire did not come into it, the mind boggles at what the previous meeting between these two teams in this competition last season was like. On that occasion it finished tryless in a 3-3 stalemate. At least this one had three touchdowns.

But for long periods yesterday this game threatened to be little better than its predecessor. There was a surfeit of kicking from hand, much of it, it seemed, pointless. And that was rather like the outcome at Adams Park. Because in the end the result here mattered not a jot, since only the group winners, in this case Gloucester, could make any progress into the EDF Energy Cup semi-finals.

This is the penultimate season of this tournament and on this showing it is probably just as well that it ends in 2010. There have been some sensible suggestions on how to revamp this competition – turning it into an Under-23 tournament – striking a chord in many quarters, but Ian McGeechan, Wasps' director of rugby, came up with another interesting idea.

"It would be a perfect pre-season competition, when teams want to get decent games in," said the newly appointed British and Irish Lions head coach. "You could have three games in August. Teams would take it seriously, because you have to prepare seriously for the season.

"If they are looking for a place to run this competition, take it out of the season and get rid of some of these Premiership games from the international weekends, because that is the ridiculous thing [playing on international weekends] is what undermines the quality of the Premiership."

An exception to the lack of entertainment was upfront where there was the mother and father of a contest. In the end Wasps won it, but the Dragons proved fiery opponents, especially during one grim, but gripping spell late in the first half with the home team camped on their opponents' line.

Dragons kept getting penalised and Wasps opted every time for the set scrum but, despite Dragons either popping up or nosediving into the Adams Park mud and incurring further penalties, the referee Chris White did not award a penalty try. "I thought we might have been in the running for one," said McGeechan.

At least there were tries. A close-range effort from Wasps prop Damien Varley and a soft one for England discard Josh Lewsey, but to Dragons went the prize for the most enterprising touchdown, when by Ashley Smith was sent in by Mark Stcherbina.

Once again there was some heroic defence by the Dragons, but as the game went on Wasps became more clinical. The last score summed it up for Dragons. Scrum-half Tom Isaacs lost the ball in the tackle behind his line and as it bobbled towards the right-hand post Lewsey darted in, snatched it up and increased the Wasps winning margin by a flattering distance.

Wasps: Tries Varley, Lewsey; Conversion Walder; Penalties Walder 3. Newport-Gwent Dragons: Try Smith; Conversion Connor; Penalty Connor.

Wasps: M van Gisbergen; J Lewsey, R Hoadley (M Lawlor, 79), J Staunton (L Mitchell, 60), T Voyce; D Walder, M Robinson (E Reddan, 61); T Payne (T French, 72), R Webber (T Lindsey, 80+5), P Barnard (D Varley, 71), D Leo (H Ellis, 63), R Birkett, J Hart, S Betsen, J Worsley (capt).

Newport-Gwent Dragons: P Dollman; T Selley, R Gomer-Davies (M Stcherbina, h-t), A Smith, R Fussell; S Connor, T Isaacs; A Black (A Murphy, 68-70; D Lydiate, 70), T Willis (capt; S Jones, 58), R Thomas, H MacDonald, A Hall (A Brown, 80+1), J Bearman, J Ringer, L Evans.

Referee: C White (Gloucestershire).