Edinburgh Rugby 30-34 Wasps: Challenge Cup heartache for Mike Blair's side as visitors power into semi-finals

Edinburgh’s hopes of reaching their first European semi-final for seven years were ended by a resolute Wasps side in a pulsating Challenge Cup tie at the DAM Health Stadium.

The visitors won 34-30, leaving Mike Blair’s side to focus solely on the United Rugby Championship for the remainder of the season.

Edinburgh gave it everything and tried manfully to breach the Wasps defence in the final minutes but the visitors held on to win the quarter-final.

The Premiership team notched four tries to Edinburgh’s three, with Alfie Barbeary securing the match-winning score with four minutes remaining after the ever impressive Emiliano Boffelli had edged Edinburgh ahead with a late 40-metre penalty.

Wasps’ other tries came from Jimmy Gopperth - who also kicked 14 points - Bi Alo and Tom West. Edinburgh countered through scores from Ben Vellacott, Adam McBurney and Magnus Bradbury, with Boffelli landing three penalties and three conversions.

Injuries have begun to bite for the home side who went into the game without hookers Stuart McInally and Dave Cherry, and with first-choice loosehead Pierre Schoeman on the bench.

With two relative newcomers in the front row this was always going to be a test for Edinburgh’s scrum and they conceded an early penalty at the set-piece. Gopperth, the veteran Wasps playmaker, punished them by slotting it over to give the visitors an early lead.

Boffelli levelled things with a penalty of his own when Wasps went offside and then Edinburgh cut loose three minutes later with the game’s opening try.

Damien Hoyland started things deep in his own half and then Luke Crosbie and McBurney took the ball on before Boffelli and Vellacott combined beautifully for the scrum-half to score. The Argentine converted.

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