London Wasps head to Castres next weekend hoping that Leinster, who they beat 19-12 at Twickenham on Saturday, slip up against Edinburgh, in order to qualify for the last eight of the Heineken Cup.
Though equal with Wasps on 16 points the Irish team will advance thanks to their 41-11 win over Wasps in October – but their losing bonus point could have been cancelled out had Wasps chosen to gamble for a try rather than let Dave Walder slot a penalty.
“There was a little bit of discussion – it’s one of those decisions,” said prop and captain Phil Vickery following the win in which Danny Cipriani also kicked 11 points and Serge Betsen crossed for a try. “Should you have gone for the corner or stuck it over, you could talk about it forever.
“You can go on about ifs and buts, but if we’d lost the ball we could easily have been talking about something different. I wouldn’t be surprised if Edinburgh beat Leinster. So we can’t worry about anyone else, it’s about what we do.”
Harlequins had their 100 per cent record halted by Ulster at Ravenhill. The Irish won 21-10, but Dean Richards’s team’s passage to the quarter-finals is assured.
Meanwhile, in the European Challenge Cup Saracens defeated Viadana 36-19 at Vicarage Road on Sunday to secure their advancement to the last eight. Similarly London Irish, for whom Peter Hewat scored five tries in a 75-5 win over Connacht, are also through.
Labels: Daniel Cipriani, Dean Richards, Edinburgh, Ian McGeechan, Leinster, London Harlequins, London Irish, London Wasps, Phil Vickery, Saracens, Serge Betsen