Wasps swarm to vent fury at ‘harshness’ of referee

WASPS did little to hide their displeasure with referee Nigel Owens after Saturday night’s defeat to Munster.

Director of Rugby Ian McGeechan and head coach Shaun Edwards were angered by the penalty count while captain Lawrence Dallaglio, was furious at the harshness of Simon Shaw’s sin-binning for not having retreated ten metres (an x-ray revealed no break to Shaw’s injured ankle which forced his withdrawal. There was soft tissue damage however)).

Ironically, the visiting skipper spent ten minutes in the bin for illegally playing the ball on the ground, a just decision in the eyes of the majority of the 12,500 people inside Thomond Park who felt he had far too much to say for himself in any case. It was a pity Wasps didn’t look at the game more positively. Only Leicester have come to Thomond Park and won a Heineken Cup game. The 19-3 score line flattered Munster and the chances are man of the match Donncha O’Callaghan and Mick O’Driscoll and the other Munster jumpers got away with a few things at the line-outs.