Abbott aims to derail Gloucester title charge

Gloucester could find their Zurich Premiership title hopes destroyed tomorrow by a player nicknamed the "Silent Assassin".

Centre Stuart Abbott has proved a driving force behind Wasps’ remarkable run of success.

Wasps have won 16 out of their last 18 games in all competitions, including lifting the Parker Pen Challenge Cup with victory over Bath.

They also roared up the Premiership table, with nine wins from their last 11 league games, to finish second behind Gloucester and secure a place in tomorrow’s inaugural title play-off final at Twickenham.

Abbott’s fearsome tackling and wonderfully-inventive midfield running not only thrilled Wasps fans but gained a new admirer – and arguably the most important of them all – in England coach Clive Woodward.

It was during Wasps’ training this week that the call came for England’s summer tour to New Zealand and Australia, leaving Cape Town-born Abbott dumbstruck.

“Lawrence (Dallaglio) read out the names of all the Wasps players who had been selected, and mine was among them,” he said.

“It was totally out of the blue, and came as a hell of a shock. It was a really special moment.”

Abbott, who qualifies for England courtesy of his Manchester-born mother, has packed a lot into his rugby career, given that he does not celebrate his 25th birthday until next Wednesday, when he will be in the air, on route to Wellington.

He has played Super 12 rugby with the Cape Town-based Stormers, appeared for Western Province in the Currie Cup, gained South Africa Under-23 honours, and even completed a short-term contract at Leicester during World Cup 99.

But since joining Wasps 18 months ago, that career chart has climbed steeply, reaching the stage where he is now a realistic challenger for England World Cup selection.

“It has all worked out fantastically well,” he added. “My form has really come on, and I’ve learnt a lot this year.

“A lot of people have asked why Wasps have been playing so well in the second half of the season. I can’t really put my finger on the reason why, but our forwards have been outstanding, and that has enabled us to play on the front foot.”

Tomorrow’s clash – a crowd of around 40,000 is expected – will decide this season’s title destiny.

To many followers of the English game, it is ludicrous that Gloucester have not already downed their celebratory champagne.

But despite finishing the 22-game regular league season a record 15 points clear of anyone second-placed Wasps, the championship still remains unclaimed.

Love it or loathe it, the play-off system is probably here to stay – a scenario whereby England’s champions are decided over 80 minutes, rather than eight months’ blood, sweat and tears.

Wasps though, whether you agree with it or not, have got a crack at the title, and if this season’s previous two games against Gloucester mean anything, then it should be an intense, gripping encounter.

Wasps triumphed 23-16 at Adams Park in October, when Gloucester had lock Adam Eustace sent off after just three minutes, then Gloucester turned the tables just over two months later, winning 24-17 on home soil.

Over two matches, the aggregate points score is 40-40, and aggregate try-count four-four.

“It’s going to be a hell of a tough game. The two games between us earlier this season were very close affairs,” added Abbott, whose only previous Twickenham experience was as a member of Wasps’ Middlesex Sevens squad last summer.

In theory, Wasps have nothing to lose, whereas Gloucester must win to underline what everyone knows anyway – that they are the best team in England.

“We would be gutted if we didn’t win – it is as simple as that,” said Gloucester’s England wing James Simpson-Daniel.

“The best way to answer all the questions is to go out and win the game. Then, there is not a problem.

“That would stamp out any argument about who are the real champions. If we beat Wasps, the job is done.

“It will not be hard to pick ourselves up. People like Jake Boer and Phil Vickery have said that if we need getting up for a final at Twickenham, live on television, then you might as well pack in and do something else because you are in the wrong sport.

“It would be a great achievement if we could do it, and it would be one of the best seasons ever in Gloucester’s history.”

Gloucester have already lifted the Powergen Cup this term, putting them within touching distance of a domestic double that no English club has achieved since Phil de Glanville’s Bath managed it seven years ago.

And Saturday’s final will also provide a Gloucester farewell for influential French pair Olivier Azam and Ludovic Mercier, who are returning home to France - Montferrand and Grenoble, respectively – in World Cup year.

“It will be the last time this squad plays together, and that is the motivation,” added Simpson-Daniel. “We want to go out with a victory.

“The atmosphere within the squad is the best-ever – certainly the best I have ever known it since I’ve been at the club. There is a great togetherness among the boys to end on a high.

“The Powergen Cup final was the traditional cup final – this game decides who are league champions. If we win it, there are no comebacks after this game.”