London Wasps 18 Bath Rugby 24

Webber touched down twice within 11 second-half minutes to add to Anthony Perenise’s 24th-minute effort with Bath keeping Wasps at arm’s length despite an inauspicious start.

Wasps led 13-10 at the break after Will Helu finished off a sweeping move but Ashley Johnson’s try after Webber’s double wasn’t enough for them to book a final clash with Northampton instead.

Fly-half George Ford won the battle of the kickers as he posted nine points to Andy Goode’s eight with Bath set to challenge for European honours for the first time since 2008 next month.

Bath arrived late to Adams Park after their coach was caught in traffic following an accident and Wasps caught them with a Goode penalty in the second minute.

The visitors were penalised at the scrum and Goode got Wasps up and running while they could have gone further ahead shortly after had they made the most of an excellent driving maul.

Bath made them pay with fly-half Ford slotting a brilliant first penalty of the afternoon after the visitors’ own driving maul was brought down illegally by Wasps.

The penalties kept coming as Bath were guilty of not rolling away and Goode ensured Wasps retook the lead before Ford had the chance to level the scores back up.

Bath were given a penalty at the lineout but Ford couldn’t split the posts from an easier distance than his first effort although they were about to score the first try of the afternoon.

They won their own lineout in Wasps’ half drove a maul over with Perenise the man at the bottom of it dotting down as the visitors took the lead for the first time.

Ford converted from almost the exact position of his last penalty miss to make it 10-6 but it was Wasps who went into the break back in front after a fine sweeping move.

Receiving the ball on the wing, Elliot Daly showed blistering pace to go round the outside and beat Matt Banahan and Nick Abendanon before laying off to Helu who skipped inside and raced over.

Goode converted in front of the posts to make it 13-10 and was only denied from kicking another following the restart after Matt Mullan’s pass to Kearnan Myall was ruled forward as he went over.

And no sooner had that happened than Bath had retaken the lead as a Wasps lineout in their own corner went horribly wrong and Webber swept up and touched down.

Ford was on target with the conversion again before both traded sweeping attacks that lit up the afternoon although neither break could produce another try.

It didn’t take long for Bath to go over again though as before the hour mark another lineout and driving maul combination this time saw Webber score his second with Ford making it 24-13.

Five minutes later though and Wasps secured a lifeline – they got a line out spot on this time in Bath’s corner and Johnson was credited with the try after one more fine driving maul.

Goode missed from the touchline and immediately after Bath looked to have hit back as Jonathan Joseph crashed over but Anthony Watson was adjudged to have knocked on in the build up.

That kept Wasps in it at 24-18 but they couldn’t break the Bath defence at the death.

Article source: http://www.premiershiprugby.com/matchcentre/fixtures/31324.php

London Wasps 18 Bath Rugby 24