- Wasps 26-20 Northampton
- Fly-half kicks two penalties as second-half replacement
It has been a weekend for fly-halves coming off the bench and having a decisive say and if Jimmy Gopperth is at the opposite end of the career spectrum to Marcus Smith, the veteran New Zealander proved every bit as important in Wasps’ hard-fought victory over Northampton.
The 38-year-old came on midway through the second half and kicked two pivotal penalties to ensure Wasps edged out Northampton in a bizarre encounter – at times entertaining, at others error-strewn. Jacob Umaga impressed at No 10 for the hosts but he was wayward from the tee – missing three kicks at goal – and Gopperth’s key interventions, with the Wasps hooker Gabriel Oghre in the sin bin, kept the visitors at bay.