Wasps stung by Dowd blow

Wasps’ hopes of retaining their Zurich Premiership title have been hit by a serious injury to their ex-New Zealand prop Craig Dowd.

Dowd will also miss Wasps’ Heineken Cup final showdown with Toulouse at Twickenham on May 23.

The front-row talisman will not play again this season after suffering an Achilles’ tendon injury during the 28-25 league defeat by Gloucester at Kingsholm.

Initial predictions were that Dowd, who was stretchered off, might have escaped with a slight calf strain, but he has now been ruled out of the bid for a domestic and European double.

“It’s a massive blow for us going into the final month of the season with Dowd out,” said Wasps rugby director Warren Gatland.

“He is the cornerstone of our pack with an enormous amount of talent and experience. We’ve been hit with some crucial injuries at a key time in our season, which means the depth of our squad will be tested.

“However, I have full confidence in our replacement prop, Tim Payne, who has played particularly well for us this season.”

Dowd will miss next week’s final game of the regular league season against Leicester and a possible title play-off semi-final and final.

If Wasps beat Leicester next Saturday, and Bath lose at home to Gloucester, then Gatland’s men will qualify automatically for the play-off final.

Bath could have achieved such a feat yesterday, but contrived to blow a 13-point interval lead against Harlequins and ended up losing 25-22.

They looked to be home and dry, courtesy of a first-minute penalty try and touchdowns from centre Robbie Fleck and full-back Matt Perry, but Quins recovered thanks to the combined goalkicking of Paul Burke and Andy Dunne, before wing Simon Keogh grabbed a dramatic try in the eighth minute of injury-time.

“We spoke at half-time about not sitting back, but we were guilty of some poor kicking and some poor execution after that,” said Bath coach John Connolly.

“We gave Harlequins momentum. I am sure that at half-time they didn’t think they could win, but we just stopped playing and we didn’t get a lot of ball.”

Quins, in contrast, were jubilant after their rescue mission which puts them in fifth place and still firmly on course for Heineken Cup qualification.

Speculation, meanwhile, remains rife that England World Cup star Mike Catt will quit Bath at the end of this season, joining either London Irish or settling for a lucrative contract in Japanese club rugby.

Northampton’s 31-15 victory at Leeds, which featured two tries for England wing Ben Cohen, means they are guaranteed a play-off semi-final spot – away to Bath or Wasps on May 16 – if they defeat Franklin’s Gardens visitors Quins next Saturday.

But they could be without top try-scorer Bruce Reihana, who suffered a rib injury during the Headingley encounter.

Saracens dented Sale Sharks’ wildcard play-off chances with a 39-23 triumph at Vicarage Road – France international Thomas Castaignede was among their try-scorers – while London Irish were indebted to a last-gasp penalty from Mark Mapletoft as they edged past Newcastle 16-15.

Four clubs out of Northampton, Gloucester, Quins, Leicester, Sale and Irish will contest the wildcard semi-finals on Saturday week, with one Heineken Cup place up for grabs.

Northampton and Gloucester should qualify by alternative routes, while Quins still have the Parker Pen Challenge Cup final ahead of them. At this stage, it would appear that Leicester will be likely wildcard beneficiaries.