WASPS DEFEAT SHARKS BUT VICKERY STUNG
London Wasps continued their charge up the Guinness Premiership and moved to fourth - their highest position of the season - after their 29-19 home win over fellow title challengers Sale Sharks. However their victory celebrations were muted by the injury to prop and England captain Phil Vickery, who limped from the action five minutes before the interval.
He had bravely, if not unwisely, attempted two scrums after his right knee had buckled under the impact of a challenge. His haunting bellow and eventual assisted-exit, and the way in which he unnaturally rocked his knee side to side, suggested that his cruciate ligament had snapped. The 32-year-old's chances of being on the plane for England's June trip to New Zealand now look slim.
Wasps, the form team of the Premiership, will miss Vickery's presence in the imminent business end of the season. But they are making Adams Park something of a fortress - this was their twelfth consecutive win at home, and their seventh straight Premiership victory; the best run in the league by any team this season.
The visiting Cheshire team, who began the game in third, did not make it easy for their hosts, and they were always within touching distance.
It was Sale who opened the scoring thanks to fly half Charlie Hodgson's fourth minute penalty. Tom Voyce replied only three minutes later - the winger intercepted Sale full back Ben Foden's floated pass for a simple score.
England No10 Danny Cipriani added the extra two, as well as a penalty to take the score to 10-3 at the break. Wing Paul Sackey crossed the line following good back hands soon after, to give Wasps 17-3 advantage. And Cipriani's boot did the rest of the scoring.
He amassed 19 points in all to Hodgson, his opposite number's 14. Though Sale, to their great credit, took the game to the wire. Foden made amends for his early mistake by wriggling over, and Hodgson's boot had taken the game to 23-19.
But Wasps held on for a hard-fought victory, though, as Vickery hobbled to the changing room with a heavily strapped right leg, only the club's physio will be able to tell at what cost.
London Wasps continued their charge up the Guinness Premiership and moved to fourth - their highest position of the season - after their 29-19 home win over fellow title challengers Sale Sharks. However their victory celebrations were muted by the injury to prop and England captain Phil Vickery, who limped from the action five minutes before the interval.
He had bravely, if not unwisely, attempted two scrums after his right knee had buckled under the impact of a challenge. His haunting bellow and eventual assisted-exit, and the way in which he unnaturally rocked his knee side to side, suggested that his cruciate ligament had snapped. The 32-year-old's chances of being on the plane for England's June trip to New Zealand now look slim.
Wasps, the form team of the Premiership, will miss Vickery's presence in the imminent business end of the season. But they are making Adams Park something of a fortress - this was their twelfth consecutive win at home, and their seventh straight Premiership victory; the best run in the league by any team this season.
The visiting Cheshire team, who began the game in third, did not make it easy for their hosts, and they were always within touching distance.
It was Sale who opened the scoring thanks to fly half Charlie Hodgson's fourth minute penalty. Tom Voyce replied only three minutes later - the winger intercepted Sale full back Ben Foden's floated pass for a simple score.
England No10 Danny Cipriani added the extra two, as well as a penalty to take the score to 10-3 at the break. Wing Paul Sackey crossed the line following good back hands soon after, to give Wasps 17-3 advantage. And Cipriani's boot did the rest of the scoring.
He amassed 19 points in all to Hodgson, his opposite number's 14. Though Sale, to their great credit, took the game to the wire. Foden made amends for his early mistake by wriggling over, and Hodgson's boot had taken the game to 23-19.
But Wasps held on for a hard-fought victory, though, as Vickery hobbled to the changing room with a heavily strapped right leg, only the club's physio will be able to tell at what cost.
Labels: Charlie Hodgson, Daniel Cipriani, Guinness Premiership, Sale Sharks, Wasps
