Simpson takes the plaudits

Scrum-half Joe Simpson drew the plaudits following Wasps victory over Bristol at the Memorial Ground.

Scrum-half has a big future, says Geech

Wasps director of rugby Ian McGeechan and Bristol head coach Paul Hull paid tribute to young scrum-half Joe Simpson following his match-winning performance in Wasps' 36-18 win at the Memorial Ground. Simpson scored two tries - the opener a 60m solo effort - setting the tone for a second-half display that tore apart the hosts, ensuring there was no winning send-off for Bristol in their final home game before exiting the Premiership. "He is an outstanding prospect," said McGeechan. "He has done it all at age grade level, and it has been quite a steep learning curve for him with the big boys this season. "But he has taken it on board well and we are slowly building up the number of games he had been playing. "I thought our forwards played well for the full 80 minutes - it was a very good performance by them. "We knew we had to perform today on what was always going to be a big occasion for Bristol with their last home game, and I am delighted we pulled off a performance like that." Hull admitted his side simply could not cope with Wasps' attacking options despite a pleasing performance before the interval, when they were just 8-6 down. "I thought we competed really well in the first half, but tries either side of half-time knocked the stuffing out of us. "Wasps have strike-runners throughout their team, and Simpson produced a man-of-the-match display."