Melville to quit woeful Wasps

London Irish 31 Wasps 17

Nigel Melville last night gave the broadest of hints that he has taken charge of his last game at Wasps. He admitted as much after his side's sorry performance against a vibrant and energetic London Irish side.

Melville, who has been in charge of the London side for six years, has a "get-out" clause in his new contract which permits him to leave at the end of the season and he said: "That was probably my last game with Wasps," adding that he wanted to go sooner rather than later.

He said that he would probably make a decision over the next week. Since Wasps do not have a match for another three weeks Melville has time on his hands in which to consider a couple of job offers, one of them from the Irish province Munster, whose coach Declan Kidney has joined the national coaching staff.

The other approach is from Gloucester and the sensible money would be on that as Melville admitted that Gloucester's managing director Ken Nottage had been in touch.

"I have not achieved everything I want to achieve in the club game and I am still only 41", he said.

"I am English and I have a great respect for what Gloucester stands for. It is a city full of rugby tradition, it is all about rugby in the raw which is the way I love it. There is so much potential there. I used to love playing at Kingsholm."

As far as leaving Wasps is concerned Melville said: "This is the professional era, the days of the one-club man are over. Anyway I feel too much of the focus at Wasps is not on rugby. We have had four training grounds and two stadiums in the last few years."

It was a pity that if yesterday's match was his last in charge that it should have been such a woeful Wasps showing. What position and territory they gained was not turned to their advantage and when Irish were reduced to 14 men in the second half it was Wasps who conceded a try.

Perhaps the Irish lost their attacking edge as the second half wore on, but Wasps still failed to breach the fantastic Exiles defence, which saw off everything that the visitors threw at them.

It was a shame that Irish failed to score the fourth try that would have earned them a valuable bonus point, but led by the outstanding prop Mikle Worsley, who scored his second try in successive Premiership matches, the victory was enough to lift the Exiles into the top four.

London Irish: Tries Worsley, Martens, Bishop; Conversions Everitt 2; Penalties Everitt 3; DG Everitt.

Wasps: Try Logan; Penalties Logan 4.

London Irish: M Horak (J Brown, 80); J Bishop, G Appleford, B Venter (R Hoadley, 66), P Sackey; B Everitt, H Martens (D Edwards, 66); M Worsley, N Drotske (R Kirke, 46), S Halford (R Hardwick, 46-61 & 71), R Strudwick (capt), S Williams (G Delaney, 65), P Gustard (E Halvey, 73), C Sheasby, D Danaher (S Halford, 61-71).

Wasps: J Lewsey; S Roiser (M Offiah, 65), F Waters, M Denney (capt), K Logan; M Leek, M Wood (M Friday, 56); C Dowd (D Molloy, 70), T Leota (P Greening, 65), W Green, S Shaw (J Beardshaw, 70), I Jones, M Lock, J Worsley (R Jenkins, 70), P Volley.

Referee: A Spreadbury (Keynsham).