Wasps 32, Bristol 30.
A CONVERTED try nine minutes into injury time at the end of the game saw Wasps steal a priceless victory against Bristol at Adams Park this afternoon.
Wasps were trailing 30-25 and appeared to be heading to defeat as the clock ticked down, but Mark McMillan pounced from the base of the scrum to cross the line in the final play of the match.
Dave Walder then kept his composure to slot the conversion and seal a bonus point win that takes Wasps up to sixth in the Guinness Premiership.
McMillan's effort came with 89 minutes on the clock and was just reward for nearly ten minutes of Wasps pressure on the Bristol line.
The visitors conceded three penalties and had Andrew Blowers sin-binned as they looked to protect their lead by fair means and foul, and they could have had few complaints had referee Ashley Rowden awarded Wasps a penalty try in the final stages.
But in the end, McMillan's darting run from five metres out made it academic.
It was a breathtaking finish to a game that had began in equally frenetic mode.
Only two minutes were on the clock when Dominic Waldouck went on a majestic run that left four tacklers for dead to dot down under the posts.
Mark van Gisbergen converted to make it 7-0 and five minutes later it was 12-0 when Wasps caught Bristol a man short on the left and David Doherty went over in the corner.
A cricket score looked on the cards but Bristol responded with a penalty from Ed Barnes and were then thrown a lifeline from David Lemi's hopeful low punt forward. Van Gisgerben and Josh Lewsey were in attendance but a wicked bounce wrong-footed them both and Rob Higgitt seized his chance to score.
Wasps continued to press though and breaks from Lewsey and Doherty should have seen them increase their score by far more than just a Van Gisbergen penalty after 33 minutes.
Two minutes later they paid the price. Van Gisbergen thought he had averted the danger with a brilliant try-saving tackle on Anthony Elliot inches short of the line, but from the resulting scrum Luke Arscott sliced between two before offloading to Elliot, who made no mistake with his second opportunity.
Barnes' conversion meant it was 15-15 at the break and Wasps must have sipped their half-time drinks steeling themselves to win a game that had already been won once.
Moments after the restart they were behind for the first time when Barnes converted another penalty, but after 48 minutes Wasps regained the lead with their third try when Joe Ward was the battering ram that broke through Bristol after concerted forwards pressure.
Van Gisbergen had missed two of his four first-half goalkicks, so Dave Walder took over the responsibility and made no mistake to extend Wasps' lead to 22-18.
It didn't last though.
Scott Linklater was driven over from a catch and drive and when Lewsey uncharacteristically fumbled under no pressure, Bristol snapped in again to send Elliot over for his team's fourth try.
Suddenly the visitors were 30-22 up and they looked in little danger of giving up their advantage as they kept Wasps pinned in their own half for the next ten minutes.
When the men in black finally did escape they took advantage with another Walder penalty, but Bristol could and should have put the game to bed after 74 minutes, when Blowers broke free down the right wing.
It was a certain try until he lost his footing just short of the line, and then he compounded his error by spilling the ball forward as he reached forward to dot down.
Wasps would not have come back from that.
But they were given a reprieve and, ensuring forwards coach Craig Dowd had an Adams Park send-off befitting his seven-year career as a Wasp, they took it.
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