As responses go, Dan Robson’s could hardly have been more emphatic. Snubbed by England this summer he helped himself to four tries – becoming the second scrum-half in Premiership history to do so – as Wasps outclassed Sale seven tries to five.
Robson was taken off with almost half an hour remaining having scored a first-half hat-trick, teed up Christian Wade and added another of his own after the break. After his departure, two quickfire Sale tries made life uncomfortable for the home side until a late flurry ensured last season’s runners-up opened the new campaign with a half-century. It will not be their last before the season is out.
Eddie Jones did not see fit to take Robson with him to Argentina, nor include him in a pre-season training camp last month but the Wasps director of rugby, Dai Young, expects that to change. “Dan showed his real class today, which he has on numerous occasions throughout last season,” he said. “I was a bit confused why he didn’t go [to Argentina]. Coaches see different things in different players but he was outstanding. I’m sure he’ll be very hard to ignore for much longer.”
It is 20 Premiership wins in a row for Wasps at the Ricoh but having opted against replacing Kurtley Beale with another box-office signing over the summer, the intention is to supplement the Premiership’s most lethal attack with a more robust defence. They scored 93 tries in the competition last season but shipped 65. On this helter-skelter evidence, it may be similar numbers again: for all that they retain their Hollywood appeal, there is still a leak that needs plugging.
Wasps had the bonus point six minutes before the interval. It helped that they were up and running after three minutes, Robson providing the perfect support line after Wade had been freed down the right. Gaby Lovobalavu had created the space with a dextrous pass out of the back of his hand – the first act of an eye-catching debut from the Fijian.
It was his robust clearout that allowed Robson to snipe down the near side of a ruck for his second. Wasps were buzzing at this point, Danny Cipriani enjoying himself with the sun on his back and front-foot ball against his former club. When he stepped inside the onrushing defender and ghosted clear, Wade was in for the simplest of scores.
Byron McGuigan got Sale on the board in the left corner, finishing off a patient move but the visitors could not live with Wasps’ precision in attack. Robson soon completed his hat-trick minute following a strong Nathan Hughes carry but he had a hand in Sale’s second try, too – his box-kick charged down by Ben Curry, who reached the loose ball first.
That was the only blot on Robson’s copybook but a sign of things to come for Wasps. Robson had his fourth after Wade cut inside and teed up his scrum-half again but Denny Solomona forced his way over on the right after a quickly taken penalty for Sale’s third try.
Faf de Klerk, busy on debut, then wriggled free to seal Sale’s bonus point and the Sharks were suddenly within eight points and threatening a comeback. Late scores from Will Rowlands and Alex Rieder pulled Wasps clear before Josh Strauss had the last word for Sale with a try his debut performance deserved.
Sale’s director of rugby, Steve Diamond, was unhappy with JP Doyle’s interpretation of the new ruck laws but contented himself with his side’s second-half comeback. “When it was eight points [in it] there was a crucial decision where Nathan [Hughes] picked up and ran 20-30 metres and they scored,” he said. “I’d have liked to have gone away with two points but I’ll have to bite my lip and go away with one.”
