Wasps, Northampton and Saracens clean up impressive wins

Sunday, 26, Mar 2006 07:18

It was a day of forceful victories in the Guinness Premiership, with Wasps, Northampton and Saracens all putting in impressive performances.

Leeds' 28-0 defeat at the hands of Wasps was the most comprehensive, including tries from Mark van Gisbergen and Paul Sackey, as well as two from a confident Tom Voyce.

Saracens had developed a comparable early lead at Vicarage Road, their powerful pack and territorial dominance helping them score two tries in each half.

A fightback from Worcester, which included two tries in the final ten minutes from Siaosi Vaili and Aisea Havili, provided some consolation but did not threaten the eventual result.

Both the victorious managers were happy with the performances of their sides, but for different reasons: while are edging closer to avoiding relegation, Wasps are pressing close to a bid for the season, which director of rugby Ian McGeechan says "will go down to the wire".

"The control we had for the whole match was pleasing and the defence was outstanding," he said.

At Kingston Park Newcastle lost to a rampant Northampton 13-32, conceding five tries after taking an early lead.

"It was our worst performance of the season and it's inexplicable to be honest," Newcastle director of rugby said.

"We've got to put it behind us and look forward to the next game."

Newcastle are currently tenth in the Premiership, fighting to avoid relegation along with Saracens, Bristol, Worcester and Leeds.