Irish win London 'derby'

Adam Thompstone tangles with Hugo Southwell

Tom Homer kicked 21 points as London Irish held off London Wasps 21-17 in an attritional contest in Reading.

Wasps wing Christian Wade crossed in the last minute for the game's only try to secure a losing bonus point for the visitors, but full-back Homer's boot had already won the game for the Exiles.

Wasps fly-half Nicky Robinson kicked four penalties in reply but this was a poor spectacle to say the least.

Wings Topsy Ojo and Adam Thompstone, for Irish, and Tom Varndell and Wade were like spectators as the ball rarely found its way into their hands.

By half-time, Irish were in front by three penalties to two and it was as turgid a game as the score suggested.

Most of the first period was spent with one side and then the other shifting the ball through the pack phases, looking for a mistake in the defence which never came.

There was little in the line-out phases, the scrums needed to be re-set every time they were called and there was not a great deal of imagination from either side.

But it was Wasps who were the main culprits in the error department.

Wasps went ahead on the quarter-hour when former Wales international Robinson booted over a 40-metre penalty.

That only came after Irish scrum-half Paul Hodgson had come the closest of all to scoring a try in the first half as he drove to within five metres of the Wasps line only for the play to be called back.

Shortly after, Homer made Wasps pay as he kicked goals from 42 and then 20 metres.

Between those kicks, Robinson got Wasps' second penalty before Homer hit his third to end a decidedly poor period.

Spark

Eventually, the match found a slight spark although points continued to come from the boot, as Robinson kicked his third shot only for Homer to reply with his fourth.

The Irish set-piece found itself under pressure a couple of times, as the Wasps front row, led by former England loose-head Tim Payne, turned up the pressure.

However, as the hour mark arrived, the Exiles began to take a modicum of control. Adrian Jarvis, who stepped in after an injury twinge to regular fly-half Dan Bowden before kick-off, kept the visitors pegged back.

And young centre Jonathan Spratt charged down an attempted clearance kick from Wasps centre Dominic Waldouck.

But, as the final whistle approached, Irish pulled away as Wasps continued to give away kickable penalties that Homer accepted.

He landed three 30-metre goals against Robinson's fourth penalty to put Irish 21-12 ahead as the game drew to a close.

However, home coach Toby Booth was left rueing the last 30 seconds when Irish let Wasps in for the only touchdown of the match.

England wing Varndell drove to the left corner and was stopped short. However he made up the numbers in the midfield and, after a couple of aggressive drives by the pack, the right wing was on hand to put left wing Wade in at the corner.