CRAIG Dowd has urged Wasps to give him a royal send off at Adams Park tomorrow.

Wasps' Guinness Premiership match with Bristol will be Dowd's final game in Wycombe - he moves back to New Zealand after next week's trip to Newcastle - and the legendary Kiwi says he would hate to leave on a sour note.

The Wasps forwards coach said: "I'd hate to go away from my last game with a horrible loss and a sinking feeling.

"So, first and foremost, with the competitive streak in me, I just want to win it."

Wasps ensured their play-off aspirations survived another week with a swashbuckling second-half display to beat Bath last week, but five league defeats already this season means they are walking a tightrope each time they go out now.

Once again the international crossover will deprive Wasps of a catalogue of key men, and Dowd admits Wasps have few alternatives if Plan A backfires.

He said: "We don't have a huge squad to choose from. The team picks itself.

"We're going to put out a pretty strong 15, but there's not much behind the front line. A few injuries would really expose us."

In addition to the six on international duty, Riki Flutey, Tom Voyce, Tom Rees, George Skivington and Rob Hoadley are sidelined, but Dowd believes the second wave will roll over Bristol.

He said: "At this club every player feels they should be starting. They want to put their hands up and they've got that opportunity this week.

"When the big guns go away you've got players desperate to prove themselves.

"You saw that last week: Lawrence Dallaglio was rested and John Hart came in and said there is life after Lawrence; Tom Palmer played one of the best games I've seen a second row play for this club; Joe Ward was outstanding and Dom Waldouck came in and got Man of the Match.

"We provide a really challenging environment here and behind the top line, we've got some pretty hungry players. You don't know when you're going to get your opportunities, but you take them with both hands."

That hasn't always been the case this season, with four defeats and a draw in their opening six games leaving Wasps playing catch-up.

Dowd said: "Playing at home is worth five points to us at the start. We've got a very good record at Adams Park and that needs to continued.

"At this stage, every game is a must-win.

"If we want to be at Twickenham at the end we need to win this one."