Aviva Premiership: Bath 18-24 Wasps
By PA Sport
Last Updated: 20/02/16 7:15pm
Frank Halai scored two tries as Wasps beat Bath 24-18 at the Recreation Ground on Saturday afternoon.
Wasps moved into third place with the win, their fifth successive Aviva Premiership victory.
Bath responded to Halai's scores through a Tom Homer try, but a second-half touchdown from prop Simon McIntyre gave Wasps breathing room before Amanaki Mafi scored with no time remaining to hand Bath a losing bonus point.
It was Wasps third victory out of the four games between the two sides this season, with the Champions Cup spoils being shared while Wasps claimed the bragging rights for both Premiership clashes.
It was a productive afternoon for Wasps at the Rec, in particular for some of the younger members of the squad including Elliot Daly and scrum-half Dan Robson.
Daly opened Wasps' account through a penalty, and the visitors' lead should have been more during a one-sided opening 25 minutes, but Daly and Ruaridh Jackson missed further penalty chances.
Bath could not get going, and it was only a matter of time before they were opened up by the visiting backs. Flanker Thomas Young made the initial headway, running into the heart of Bath's defence before full-back Charles Piutau entered the line at pace and popped to Halai for the score.
Bath needed to assert some kind of authority as the interval approached, but after Priestland got them off the mark with a penalty, Matt Banahan saw a try ruled out by the TMO who spotted that the centre was short of the tryline.
Bath maintained scrum pressure, and referee Tom Foley awarded the home side a penalty in the 40th minute which Priestland converted for a 8-6 scoreline at half-time.
Jackson kicked a penalty to restore a five-point advantage for the visitors after the break, then Halai struck with his second try after Daly's well-placed kick caught out Homer, and Halai skirted around him to touch down.
Jackson missed the touchline conversion attempt, but Wasps led 16-6 midway through the third quarter.
Wasps had the confidence to break out from behind their own line, and with the visitors also securing turnover ball, it meant they had weathered Bath's storm as they reclaimed a strong attacking position.
McIntyre then went over from close range to open up a 15-point advantage that looked to be enough for Wasps, but Bath hit back when Homer converted his own try to give the home side a glimmer of hope
However New Zealander Jimmy Gopperth extinguished prospects of a successful Bath fightback when he landed a 25-metre penalty that sealed the deal for Wasps before Mafi muscled over for the losing bonus point in the 80th minute.