COMMENTI

Wasps sting Tigers to lift Middlesex Sevens

by RFU Press Office

12 August 2006

LONDON WASPS won the 81st Middlesex Sevens at Twickenham this afternoon beating Leicester Tigers 29-10 in the final played in front of a partying crowd of 30,000.
It was Wasps first Middlesex title in 13 years and they won it in style sweeping into the final with a 31-14 semi-final win over Saracens before dominating a tiring Tigers outfit.
England and British Lion Josh Lewsey was their man of the tournament running in 10 tries in all including two in the final of the Coral.co.uk final.
He said: “I was a bit nervous about playing Sevens today as I haven’t touched a Sevens ball for four years but it’s been a delightful day.
“Some of our younger guys have never even been to Twickenham before today so I was really pleased that they did so well.”
It was the England winger’s touchdown that helped give his side the perfect start against Tigers as within a minute they had added a second when their young superstar Danny Cipriani, who had a fine tournament throughout, sped in for his fifth touchdown of the day, converted by Sevens master Simon Amor.
Although Tigers replied immediately when Tom Varndell scampered over on the left another steady build-up from Wasps ended with Chris Bishay’s long pass finding Lewsey out wide to run in his second and for Amor’s wide-angle conversion to put Wasps 19-5 ahead at the break.
From the restart they again hit Tigers hard when Bishay rounded off a sweeping movement out wide and with Tigers down to six men after Ian Humphries yellow card for body-checking Cipriani and trailing 24-5 they seemed doomed.
But, they lifted their game and Matt Smith found himself in enough space to rush passed the beaten Amor for a second try.
It was all they could muster, however, as Wasps again built-up a nice move on the left for Cipriani to eventually finish off on the right.
LONDON WASPS: Amor(c), Cipriani, Lewsey, Honeyben, Bishay, Haskell, Webber; Thrower, Camberlain, Waldouk, McMillan, Ellis.
LEICESTER TIGERS: Croft, Rabeni, Tuilagi, Bemand(c), Varndell, Humphries, Ellis; Deacon, Hickie, Vesty, Smith, Murphy.

FIRST ROUND RESULTS:
London Irish 19 Bath Rugby 19;
Gloucester Rugby 5 NEC Harlequins 19;
Leicester Tigers 34 Saracens 15;
London Wasps 22 Bristol Rugby 5;
London Irish 24 Northampton Saints 19;
Gloucester Rugby 29 Sale Sharks 21;
Leicester Tigers 31 Worcester Warriors 0;
London Wasps 17 Newcastle Falcons 10;
Bath Rugby 12 Northampton Saints 12;
NEC Harlequins 26 Sale Sharks 17;
Saracens 14 Worcester Warriors 12;
Bristol Rugby 17 Newcastle Falcons 26.

¼ FINALS:
London Irish 28 Gloucester Rugby 14;
NEC Harlequins 42 Bath Rugby 17;
Leicester Tigers 24 Newcastle Falcons 21;
London Wasps 31 Saracens 14.

S/FINALS:
London Irish 14 Leicester Tigers 26;
NEC Harlequins 19 London Wasps 26.