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GP Preview: Bristol Look to Fashion Rare Away Win

HE'S NOT THE MESSIAH
By Vespasian February 22 2008
When it comes to London Wasps home games against Bristol, the result invariably ends with Wasps being victorious. In league games, wasps record is played 14, won 13, lost 1. Tellingly, the home defeat in April 2000 came during a post-World Cup hangover.

Fortunately, perhaps, Bristol were down in National 1 during 2003-04, so there was no home league game. Wasps hammered the splintered west countrymen 46-8 away in the cup in November 2003.

Bristol was forging a new identity around it academy back then, and soon recovered. Bristol  smartened up its act and recruited well, and last season it ran its rival, Gloucester, close in pursuit of an unlikely Premiership crown.

Richard Hill is a very shrewd operator who targets games to win and games not to chase too hard. Bristol has found this season as troublesome as Wasps, but one would wager that the former England and Bath man will see a Wasps side shorn of several internationals as team to beat.

Past form should be ignored. Bristol went well in the Heineken Cup, doing rather better than Wasps in the early pool games before capitulating in the last two matches against Stade Francais and Cardiff Blues.

Meanwhile, Wasps injuries woes continue. Last week's victory at Bath came at the cost of losing Rob Hoadley for several weeks to a knee ligament injury. Whether the returning Jeremy Staunton is called up after a season being largely uninvolved with London Irish's own European adventure.

With several players away, can the remaining Wasps raise their game to match our previous exploits, such as the last minute penalty try win first time out at Adams Park? Or Trevor Leota's shuddering tackle on Beattie? Or the Oti hat-trick down at the Mem in the early 90s? Well, we've only got a record of 15 straight league wins to aim at (see http://www.wasps.co.uk/ClubInfo.ink?teamnameshort=Bristol for more)...

Wasps by 1, by the grace of Geech and Smiler Edwards...?

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