Bath lose again after Williams red-carded for a tackle on Gopperth

Bath lock Mike Williams was sent off in the 47th minute for a dangerous challenge on Jimmy Gopperth as his side were beaten 27-17 by Wasps in the Gallagher Premiership. Bottom-placed Bath were only 13-10 down at the time of Williams’ dismissal but unsurprisingly they fell away to record their sixth consecutive loss, their worst losing run in the competition since 2002.

Vaea Fifita, Gabriel Oghre and Tom Willis scored Wasps’ tries. Gopperth kicked two penalties and a conversion while Jacob Umaga added two conversions. Tom de Glanville and Semesa Rokoduguni touched down for Bath with Orlando Bailey kicking a penalty and a conversion and Danny Cipriani adding a conversion.

Wasps made the quicker start and were rewarded by taking a ninth-minute lead. A well-judged crossfield kick from Umaga was collected by Josh Bassett before the wing provided Fifita with the scoring pass. Bath had little to cheer in the first quarter as they were comfortably second best with the concession of five penalties and two lineouts not helping their cause.

The home crowd’s spirits were briefly raised when Ollie Fox and Rokoduguni combined to send Lewis Boyce away on a 40-metre run but the prop’s pass went forward. However, from the resulting scrum, Wasps were penalised for Bailey to put his side on the scoreboard.

Wasps soon suffered another blow when Dan Robson limped off to be replaced by Will Porter but the visitors picked up the next score when Gopperth knocked over a simple penalty. Wasps looked in control but from nowhere, the home side produced a brilliant try. On halfway they won a lineout for Max Ojomoh to step inside an opponent to put the defence on the back foot.

The ball was then recycled for de Glanville to burst into the line and easily round the covering Umaga to score. Bailey converted before Wasps regained the lead with a second penalty from Gopperth to leave them with a 13-10 advantage at half-time. Wasps replaced Wales squad flanker Thomas Young at the interval and five minutes later they received another setback when prop Jeff Toomaga-Allen was sin-binned for dragging down a maul.

Wasps’ woes continued when Gopperth was stretchered off following lengthy treatment after Williams charged into him as he attempted a clear-out and was sent off. The home side immediately brought on Cipriani and Jonathan Joseph but Wasps scored next when a well-timed pass from Umaga saw Oghre race through a huge hole in the Bath defence to score.

Toomaga-Allen returned from the bin but the impressive Fifita limped off to add to Wasps’ casualty list before Bath went down to 13 with Josh Bayliss receiving a yellow card for a deliberate knock-on.

Wasps capitalised by sealing victory when Willis forced his way over from close range but Bath finished well when Rokoduguni collected Joseph’s cross-field kick to score.