Wasps close in on top four

Wasps closed in on the Guinness Premiership's top four with a 24-19 victory over Gloucester at Adams Park on Sunday.

David Walder, despite missing an opportunity to take the lead two minutes in, contributed 19 of Wasps' points, including 24th minute try, a conversion and four penalties.

Gloucester battled back valiantly from 13-0 down to 16-16, only to be sunk by a late try from Samoan winger David Lemi.

Walder fired over his first penalty from left of centre on 12 minutes after referee Andrew Small had pinged the visitors for being offside.

The fly-half hammered home his second in the 16th minute when the West Country men were caught entering a ruck from the side.

Opposite number Tim Taylor failed to close the gap two minutes later and on 24 minutes the hosts put themselves firmly in the driving seat when Walder crashed over, after a succession of drives had taken Wasps under the posts.

Walder converted his own try to take the score to 13-0 but scrum-half James Honeyben, who had been instrumental in the try, limped off immediately afterwards with an injured ankle.

Superb

Gloucester's first points came on 29 minutes, Taylor this time stroking over a much better penalty attempt to close the gap to ten points.

But Wasps answered almost immediately, Walder slotting over after the visitors were pulled up for another offence at the breakdown.

Taylor, however, chipped back another three points two minutes from half-time with a well struck penalty from wide on the left.

To make matters worse for the hosts, replacement scrum-half Warren Fury was sent packing to the sin-bin seconds later for stamping at a ruck.

Wasps pushed Gloucester back from the start of the second half, with David Lemi in off his wing to take up duties behind the pack.

The hosts should have extended their lead further when Walder shaped up to take a drop-goal only to hook it wide of the uprights.

Fury returned to the fray before Gloucester could make their numerical advantage pay but on 52 minutes Mike Tindall ripped open Wasps' defence to run in a superb solo effort.

Magnificent

Tindall blasted through the midfield and found the gap between the defenders before eluding Mark van Gisbergen to score next to the posts.

Nicky Robinson - on for Taylor - converted to take the score to 16-13 and put Gloucester right back into the match.

Walder missed a long range penalty on 58 minutes and two minutes later Gloucester pulled level when Robinson fired over an excellent 45-metre kick after an offence at the scrum.

Gloucester lost Akapusi Qera to the bin for tackling off the ball in the 65th minute and Walder regained the lead for Wasps with the resulting penalty.

Robinson tried to tie the scores with another long distance penalty kick two minutes later, but his effort again sailed wide.

Lemi lit up the game with a magnificent solo try on 71 minutes when he took a pass on the left and accelerated past James Simpson-Daniel and Olly Morgan to dive in by the flag.

Walder missed his conversion and Robinson reduced the arrears with a penalty five minutes from time to claim a losing bonus point.