From the Telegraph
Unfancied Wasps swat away sorry Saracens
Saracens' director of rugby says there were 'no positives' in his team's heaviest ever Premiership defeat
Wasps 60 Saracens 10
This was a showing of utmost grit. Wasps hosted Saracens after a week in which their longstanding director of rugby left the club. No one fancied Wasps, but they were not banking on the hosts playing the best rugby of their season, scoring eight tries, and the disgraced champions, missing their England internationals, delivering what was surely the worst performance in their history.
Despite the warm din that echoed around the arena in the ninth-minute applause saluting the departed Dai Young, Wasps' supporters had not exactly come in their droves to the fixture, and who could blame them? Before tonight, Wasps were a meandering motley crew who had lost three of their last ten matches. They had not beaten Saracens since May 2017 and the Friday night kick-off – the first ever at the Ricoh – might also have dissuaded some of the club’s London-based faithful.
After a laborious, niggly start, it seemed as if the fans had made the right decision to stay at home on a blustery night in Coventry. But when Wasps began to tick - and it did not take long - those in attendance were treated to a performance that they will savour for many a year.
Mark McCall, Saracens' director of rugby, said there were "no positives" in his side's heaviest ever Premiership defeat.
“It was a hugely disappointing performance, almost the opposite of last week. No area of our game was up to scratch. I am not sure what else to say.”
Jimmy Gopperth, who kicked faultlessly all evening, put Wasps into an early lead before the barrage began. The stupendous Jack Willis barrel-rolled over, before a scintillating score put Wasps firmly in control.
Thibaud Flament flicked the deftest offload to Willis, before the openside flanker sent Jacob Umaga, who is maturing into a fly-half of the highest quality, streaking towards the posts, offloading to Nizaam Carr just before the line.
Despite similar personnel on show, it was a shadow of the Saracens performance that put Sale to the sword last week. Wasps were ghosting defenders at will, and the visitors barely built more than three phases in attack. And Wasps, to their credit, were ruthless.
When the first of many Saracens attacks collapsed, Malakai Fekitoa was the beneficiary. He weaved and scythed before a looping pass sent Zach Kibirige over in the corner.
The torment would not stop. Kibirige swept up a sloppy pass to sprint away for Wasps’ bonus-point score before half time. Saracens captain Brad Barritt limped off, too, and if there had been even a scintilla of life in the visitors, they might have been stunned. Ali Crossdale’s score on the stroke of half time barely dented the deficit.
“This performance had been building,” said Wasps interim head coach Lee Blackett. “We had a good conversation last Sunday [after the Leicester match] and we talked about trying to impose our game on the opposition. Our intent to attack was really good and I’m really pleased.”
Saracens’ day would get worse still when Alex Lewington was sent to the sin bin for a needless deliberate knock-on. Wasps exploited the missing man perfectly; Umaga’s cross-field kick allowed Brad Shields to touch down.
Wasps continued to twist the dagger. Umaga got on the end of another Kibirige burst before Shields added a second after Watson broke clear. Gabriel Oghre added Wasps’ eighth, but Saracens were already on the bus home by then. Not even a late Lewington score could spare their embarrassment.
Match details
Scoring sequence: 3-0 Gopperth pen, 8-0 Willis try, 10-0 Gopperth con, 15-0 Carr try, 17-0 Gopperth con, 22-0 Kibirige try, 24-0 Gopperth con, 29-0 Kibirige try, 31-0 Gopperth con, 31-5 Crossdale try; 34-5 Gopperth pen, 39-5 Shields try, 41-5 Gopperth con, 46-5 Umaga try, 48-5 Gopperth con, 53-5 Shields try, 55-5 Gopperth con, 55-10 Lewington try, 60-10 Oghre try.
Wasps: Watson, Kibirige, Fekitoa, Gopperth, Bassett, Umaga, Robson, Harris, Taylor, Alo, Matthews, Flament, Shields, Willis, Carr.
Replacements: Oghre, West, Toomaga-Allen, Cardall, Morris, Porter, Sopoaga, Le Bourgeois.
Saracens: Goode, Crossdale, Taylor, Barritt, Lewington, M. Vunipola, Whiteley, Barrington, Singleton, Koch, Kpoku, Hunter-Hill, Isiekwe, S. Reffell, Wray.
Replacements: Woolstencroft, Carre, Ibuanokpe, Christie, Pifeleti, Spencer, Morris, Obatoyinbo.
Sin bin: Lewington (43).
Referee: Christophe Ridley.
Always a Wasp