Wasps 51 - 10 Leinster: Daly lights touchpaper for Wasps

While it cannot be ignored that Leinster, the three-time European champions, were out of contention before start of play, Wasps’ brilliant victory at the Ricoh Arena yesterday put down another impressive marker for Dai Young’s team. They were dashing and controlled in equal measure, and the 2004 and 2007 winners sailed through to the quarter-finals of the European Cup on a wave of seven tries.

If Wasps’ outside-centre Elliot Daly and second-row Joe Launchbury haven’t played themselves into the England team to play in Scotland in a fortnight’s time, they could have done no more to make their case.

Daly’s pace and eye for a line took him scorching away from Dave Kearney and Luke Fitzgerald to score the third try in the 46th minute, while Launchbury went over midway through the first half and was at his rampaging best all around the field.

Wasps had begun what was regarded by many as the toughest ever European Cup pool as fourth favourites, yet finished it last night as winners ahead of the cup holders Toulon by dint of their head-to-head results. In the last eight Wasps will be home or away to the winners of Pool Two, which will be settled between Clermont Auvergne, Ospreys, Exeter and Bordeaux-Bègles today. Toulon will have a quarter-final at Leicester Tigers or Racing 92.

This was all founded for Wasps on the 33-6 win in Dublin in round one and the 32-6 win over Toulon here a week later. Wasps have not just been taking on the glitterati, they have been hammering them – Toulon and Leinster have won this tournament for the past five seasons between them.

The second-half rout that eventually added up to Leinster’s heaviest margin of defeat in Europe – exceeding the 43-7 loss in Toulouse in 2001-02 – followed a worrying injury to each side.

Johnny Sexton, who has a horrible history of four concussions in the calendar year of 2014, that culminated in the fly-half needing a 12-week layoff, clashed heads with Wasps’ former Leinster centre Brendan Macken in a tackle and did not return after failing a head injury assessment. The 30-year-old, with 59 Ireland and Lions Tests, must be a major doubt for his country’s Six Nations opener against Wales in Dublin on 7 February, having missed the most recent Test – the World Cup quarter-final loss to Argentina in October – with an adductor strain.

For Wasps, Joe Simpson, the scrum-half bang on the fringe of an England squad that has only two No 9s in it, was savagely unlucky to wrench his left ankle as he landed on an opponent’s foot as they contested a high ball.

Leinster may yet go on to win the Pro12 this season, but their European experience has been severely chastening, with only one win in six matches. By wacky contrast, Wasps are sixth domestically, but with the Australian flanker George Smith showing why he is going into England’s camp as a breakdown consultant next Wednesday, their eminently watchable style was irresistible.

Zane Kirchner scored first for Leinster, but Jimmy Gopperth converted his own try to nudge Wasps ahead. Launchbury’s try, after the hosts worked a short blind side to good effect via Smith and replacement Dan Robson, made it 12-5 and Gopperth’s first penalty had Wasps 15-10 up by the break.

The pain only increased for Leinster. A penalty try from a line-out drive shortly after Daly’s fine effort took Wasps out of sight and Leinster started to splinter as they struggled to subdue the waves of attacks. Their defence cracked for a fifth time with super hands from Daly sending wing Frank Halai over. When full-back Charles Piutau displayed his pace to touch down with 10 minutes remaining, the ordeal looked over for the Irish visitors, but Ashley Johnson stepped off the bench to inflict one final indignity.

“To come so close to winning in Toulon last week and now to back it up like this is unbelievable,” said Daly, who showed little sign of a truncated preparation due to a tight hamstring, although wisely he did not risk any long-range goal kicks.

Wasps: C Piutau; F Halai (J Cooper-Woolley, 30-40), E Daly (R Miller, 66), B Macken, J Bassett; J Gopperth (R Jackson, 66), J Simpson (D Robson, 6); M Mullan (T Bristow, 66), E Shervington (A Johnson, 62), L Cittadini (sin-bin, 29-39, Cooper-Woolley, 62), J Launchbury (J Gaskell, 64), B Davies J Haskell (capt), G Smith, S Jones (N Hughes, 62).

Leinster: R Kearney; Z Kirchner, L Fitzgerald, N Reid (B Te’o, 62), D Kearney; J Sexton (capt, C Marsh, 9), E Reddan (I Boss, 77); J McGrath (M Bent, 58), S Cronin (R Strauss, 53), M Moore (P Dooley, 62), D Toner, R Ruddock, D Ryan (R Molony, 72), J Murphy (J van der Flier, 41), J Heaslip.

Referee: M Raynal (France).