Wasps sting Treviso
By Robin Slater
Last Updated: 16/09/24 7:47am
London Wasps romped to victory against Pool One bottom side Benetton Treviso.
London Wasps took a big step towards qualification for the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup with a resounding 71-5 victory against Italian side Benetton Treviso.
Paul Sackey scored a hat-trick as the Londoners ran in 11 tries against the Italian champions to go one point clear of Perpignan and top of group one.
Wasps made only two changes to the side that defeated Treviso 55-0 last week in Reading as they welcomed back Lawrence Dallaglio to the pack and saw Joe Worsley move to blind side flanker.
Wasps took just two minutes to open the scoring after Alex King went over for the first try of the game which Mark Van Gisbergen converted to make it 7-0 early on.
Treviso hit back quickly, to give the home fans a brief glimmer of hope, with a try by winger Massimiliano Perziano.
But centre Gabriel Pizarro, who had started the break, failed to convert and that was the end of Treviso's scoring.
Wasps then ran away with the game, despite losing prop Tim Payne to the sinbin on 13 minutes, as Sackey scored a first-half hat-trick, the third of which was a fantastic solo effort which started in his own half.
The match was effectively finished before half-time with a comeback try by skipper Dallaglio, which made it 35-5 at the break.
Wasps came out in the second-half a team full of confidence as they played some exhilarating rugby in the December Italian sunshine.
Eoin Reddan took advantage of Treviso's sleeping pack as he broke from the scrum to open the second-half scoring with a well-taken try.
Josh Lewsey then piled on the misery for Treviso as he scored Wasps' seventh try of the afternoon just moments before Van Gisbergen, who kicked eight conversions, crossed over for a try on 55 minutes.
With victory and a bonus point secured Wasps then made good use of their bench, bringing on substitutes James Haskell and Daniel Cipriani, who both crossed the try line after some good flowing back play.
Prop forward Nick Adams finished the scoring for Wasps after he touched down following an unstoppable lineout drive from the pack.