Tony Hanks heaped praise on Wasps' pack after they helped secure a 24-22 victory over Leicester at Adams Park.
Tigers pay for errors but still return home with losing bonus point
Wasps rugby director Tony Hanks heaped praise on Simon Shaw and the rest of his side's pack after the 24-22 win over Leicester.
The two Guinness Premiership heavyweights served up a treat for the bumper crowd at Adams Park, with the hosts just running out victorious.
Paul Sackey and Steve Kefu both managed tries for Wasps while Dave Walder kicked a conversion and two penalties, both coming in the second half.
However, Hanks felt that his forwards - who were heavily penalised by referee Chris White in the first 40 minutes - were the key to the victory.
Scrum problems
"We had a few very tricky scrum problems first half, but the boys learned on the run, and it was definitely better in the second half," he said.
"We went out there to play some rugby, and we tried to attack with width.
"Great to see Paul Sackey doing what he does best, and I am very pleased with the intent. With 79 minutes on the clock it was 2-0 on tries.
"Simon Shaw was immense, not least the way he commanded the restarts. He was one of a number of guys who stepped up because, had we lost this one, we would have slipped back to mid-table."
Leicester stayed in touch with their hosts through the boot of Toby Flood, the fly-half landing five penalties for the defending champions.
They did secure a losing bonus point with a late, late try from Jordan Crane, much to the disappointment of Wasps coach Shaun Edwards
"We tackled them manfully throughout the game," he said. "Chris White didn't think the scrum was wheeled so they pinched a try at the death, so I think the scoreline is a bit harsh."
Leicester coach Matt O'Connor felt the visitors paid the price for an error-strewn performance, even though they did pick up a losing bonus point.
Execution
"We let ourselves down and took the pressure off Wasps through errors. We were not accurate enough in our execution," he admitted.
"We did well in the scrums, but not in areas where we could do maximum damage. There were a lot of unplayables out there, a lot of bodies over the ball not being blown, but you get that week-in, week-out.
"You simply cannot give the opportunities we gave Wasps, particularly a soft second try. But we started really well for the first half-hour before we allowed them to really get into the game.
"In fairness, their kicking from hand was better than ours which caused us to turn more than I'd have liked."
