Wasps Great Escape into the Quarter Finals

Wasps 20 - 20 Leinster

Captain James Haskell talks of his disappointment his Wasps side was not able to get the win admitting "We should have won that."

Haskell added "Leinster are a quality side but we weren’t great defensively in the first half, it is just disappointing because we should have won that. They were the better team in the first half, but we made them look like a million dollars.

"We won the second half battle and we know we have a lot of work to do, but we pushed a very good Irish side and we know we should have won."

Tries from Matt Mullan and Nathan Hughes helped Wasps staged one of the best comebacks in European rugby to clinch a draw with Leinster after having two players sin binned in the first half and being 20 - 6 down at half time.

The hosts lost Ashley Johnson from the kick off as the South African took out Dave Kearney mid air and was sin binned. The extra man proved dividends as the Irish providence pressured the Wasp 22 metre line before sending the ball wide to winger Fergus McFadden to score.

Ian Madigan added the extras to give the visitors a 7-0 lead after four minutes but Wasps were able to get points on the board two minutes later as an Andy Goode penalty reduced the score to four points.

Most of the first half was demanded by the boot as Madigan missed two penalty attempts before getting it right on the third time before Wasps new signing Jimmy Gopperth also kicked a penalty stretching the Irish sides lead to 13 - 3.

Goode did reply for the home side before Dai Young's men went down to 14 again after Lorenzo Cittadini was sin binned and Leinster made having the extra man count again with Isaac Boss scoring after referee Jerome Garces went to the TMO who confirmed the replacement scrum half grounded the ball.

With Madigan adding the extras to extend Leinster's lead to 20 - 6 and on the stroke of half time Goode had a chance to claw back some points but the kick went wide as both sides went into the interval.

Half - Time - Wasps 6 - 20 Lenister

The opening 20 minutes both sides will regret not taking their chances as Tom Varndell seemed to score the host's first try of the game, but Garces ruled it out for obstruction by Hughes on centre Luke Fitzgerald.

Madigan then had a chance to extend the four times European champions lead but once again the centre missed the posts which started the Wasps comeback.

On 61 minutes prop Mullan crushed the ball over from a pick - and - go then seven minutes later the pack was at it again as they bundled their way over, but they were just short which left Hughes diving over the pile of bodies to make the score the even closer and with Goode adding conversions to both Mullan's and Hughes' try the hosts drew level.

With four minutes to go Madigan had the chance to be a hero, but for the fouth time he missed the penalty and then at the end dead of the game Goode's attempted drop goal went wide.

This draw means Wasps have to wait to see if they progress to the Quarter finals with Leinster top seeds at the moment.

Scorecard
2 mins - McFadden (Try) - 0 - 5
4 mins - Madigan (Con) - 0 - 7
6 mins - Goode (Pen) - 3 - 7
20 mins - Madigan (Pen) - 3 - 10
29 mins - Gopperth (Pen) 3 - 13
31 mins - Goode (Pen) 6 - 13
37 mins - Boss (Try) 6 - 18
38 mins - Madigan (Con) 6 - 20
HT - Wasps 6 - 20 Leinster
61 mins - Mullan (Try) 11 - 20
62 mins - Goode (Con) 13 - 20
68 mins - Hughes (Try) 18 - 20
70 mins - Goode (Con) 20 - 20
FT - Wasps 20 - 20 Leinster