Danny Cipriani kicks Wasps to victory over Sale

Danny Cipriani, discarded by England, rejected by Will Carling for apparently not being passionate enough about playing for his country and possibly on his way to the Super 15, had an ideal moment to make a point by displaying the full range of his talents yesterday. Like Jonny Wilkinson in Rome, however, the Wasps stand-off was not at his best with ball in hand – there were no breaks, no sleight-of-hand passes – but unlike Wilkinson he did not miss a kick. Six of them, one from almost on the halfway line, all beautifully struck, gave Wasps a victory over Sale they just about deserved. The home team took the lead after 15 inconsequential minutes. Fielding a Charlie Hodgson kick inside his own 22, Tom Varndell skipped daintily along the left touchline, evading two would-be tacklers and exchanging passes with Ben Jacobs before attempting an American football-style one-handed overhead pass back to the centre. Not only did he miss his man; the ball bounced forwards, too. But the referee, Rob Debney, let it go and Warren Fury picked up to send Jacobs over. Cipriani kicked the conversion from wide but Hodgson was similarly accurate with two penalties to keep the Sharks firmly in touch. The England wing Paul Sackey, returning from injury and another whom Wasps are resigned to losing at the end of the season, received a couple of passes but was well covered on both occasions. Three minutes into the second half Cipriani kicked his monster – the ball passed a good five feet over the crossbar – and another penalty put Wasps two scores clear. Then Hodgson's hopeful kick bounced horribly for Wasps' full-back, Mark van Gisbergen, and Marika Vakacegu got to the ball first to pop it up for Gavin Kerr to trundle over. Having begun their comeback, however, Sale's momentum was halted by an incomprehensible sin-binning for Eifion Lewis-Roberts. "I'll probably get into trouble for saying it but the scoreline was at least partly down to the officials," Sale's director of rugby, Kingsley Jones, said through gritted teeth. Wasps Van Gisbergen (Walder 67); Sackey, Jacobs, Kefu, Varndell; Cipriani, Fury ; Taulafo, Webber, Broster (Baker 74), Veale, Skivington, Worsley, Betsen (Matthews 56), Ward-Smith. Try Jacobs Con Cipriani Pen Cipriani 5 Sale Vakacegu; James, Bishop, Thomas, Cohen; Hodgson, Wigglesworth (Peel 74); Lewis-Roberts, Schwalger (Briggs 72), Halsall (Kerr 43), Schofield, Gaskell (Cox 37), Fearns (Ormsby 56), Seymour, Koyamaibole (Halsall 68). Try Kerr Con Hodgson Pen Hodgson 2 Drop goal Hodgson 78 Sin bin Lewis-Roberts 68 Referee R Debney Attendance 7,173