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Wasps edge out Newcastle as departing Banahan inspires Bath
By Ben Spratt
Wasps held on to third place in the Premiership table as they defeated fourth-placed Newcastle Falcons on the final day of the regular season, while Bath qualified for the European Champions Cup.
The standout clash of the final round of fixtures came at a sold-out Kingston Park, where home supporters were hopeful of avoiding table-topping Exeter Chiefs in their first jaunt into the play-offs.
But the Falcons were blown away by Wasps in the first half and only rallied after their opening try in the 63rd minute, Newcastle losing 39-22 despite a late push.
Tom Cruse, Elliot Daly, Danny Cipriani, Josh Bassett, Jimmy Gopperth and Willie Le Roux all crossed for the visitors to secure a comfortable victory.
Champions Cup places were also up for grabs on Saturday and Leicester Tigers and Bath both secured top-six finishes.
Leicester, inspired by the brilliant George Ford, denied Sale Sharks with a 35-13 away win, while Bath were rampant in a 63-19 defeat of London Irish as Matt Banahan scored a hat-trick in his final match for the club.
That result ensured Bath pipped Gloucester - Banahan's new side - after they were thrashed 62-12 at Saracens.
Leaders Exeter Chiefs beat Harlequins 41-17, while Northampton Saints saw off Worcester Warriors 32-24.
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Latest Comments
Even with absences we still had the cattle to make the playoffs. As it was, we nearly stumbled our way into the top 8. Which shows just how easy it was to get there. And still we failed. As for Razor, there are many instances of him patching up the Crusaders roster. Numerous. Several players I'd never heard of. Also, using AB legend John Afoa was a classic.
But, some of the games we were losing were from schoolboy errors, or downright confusion. Either the players were really dumb (they weren’t) or they were poorly coached. Given the repetitive nature of errors, brain fades, poor decision making, & loose structures, this all lands with the coaching group.
With only six playoff spots now in SR, & Aussie franchises now consolidated to four, 2025 looks like a tight one. I'm picking we'll have to tough it out under Penney & hope for the best.
Go to commentsAgree we need a 10, 12, 13 refresh. ASAP. Well, next season now lol. Reiko should be put back on the wing. He'll be an absolute menace there. Imagine 11 Reiko 14 Clarke 15 Jordan as the backfield unit.
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