WASPS saved their best performance of the season for the Premiership Final as they beat Leicester Tigers with a devastating display of rugby.

The Zurich Champions outplayed Tigers in every department. Wasps were tactically superior, deadly in execution and magnificent in defence as Tigers' much-vaunted offensive line had no answer.

Every Wasps player could look back proudly on their display, with the scrum and line-out which Leicester were hoping to dominate holding up well, while second-choice centres Josh Lewsey and Ayoola Erinle outplayed their highly-praised counterparts.

In the second-row, Richard Birkett and Simon Shaw were dominant over Ben Kay and England's World Cup captain Martin Johnson, whose last competitive game failed to end with the send-off he deserved.

But Wasps really dominated in the back row.

Leicester had three British Lions players in there while Wasps included the inexperienced John Hart, with Joe Worsley having to play out of position. But Hart played out of his skin while Worsley was a one-man tackling machine in the first half.

He put in countless challenges in the first period and provided a lot of impetus in offence as Wasps used their ball-carriers with deadly effect.

There was also the man-mountain that is Lawrence Dallaglio. The Wasps number eight carried off the Man of the Match award after another inspirational display as a tackler, ball carrier and leader.

After three defeats against Leicester, including their 45-10 mauling two weeks before Saturday's game, Wasps got it right when it counted.

Wasps coach Warren Gatland had talked about a need to change their tactics and he got it spot on.

Instead of trying to play from deep, Wasps played the territorial game.

Alex King kicked the ball over Leicester's heads to good effect to deny them a platform to build attacks, while Worsley then tackled them into submission to stifle any attacks.

The tactic immediately paid dividends when King's kick was collected by Lewsey, leading to a Wasps penalty, which the metronomic boot of Mark van Gisbergen converted.

It then got better in the fifth minute when Dallaglio smashed into Ollie Smith in the tackle and the ball spilled loose. Tom Voyce picked it up and ran in from 60m to score the first try.

Van Gisbergen's conversion made it 10-0 and it was 13-0 after seven minutes when King dropped a goal after more Wasps pressure.

Leicester's Sam Vesty called on the crowd to try and lift his team and they finally got going on 12 minutes when Andy Goode converted a penalty.

Tigers were rattled though and it showed when British Lions flanker Neil Back punched Worsley in the face in an off-the-ball incident, with the Wasps hero requiring 13 stitches in the face.

Van Gisbergen missed the resulting penalty the only kick he missed all afternoon but Leicester failed to make him pay when Goode missed from similar range.

Tigers nearly crept in for a try on 26 minutes but Lewsey produced a great tackle to deny Geordan Murphy in the corner.

Goode reduced the deficit with another penalty but Wasps made sure it was their half with two late penalties by van Gisbergen, the latter from inside his own half.

The second period began with Tigers fans calling on their team to stand up and be counted. But, instead, their skipper Johnson went in too high on Matt Dawson and van Gisbergen made no mistake with the penalty.

Goode made it 22-9 before King hit the post as he looked to reply with a drop goal.

Wasps kept trying to grab that all-important second try and nearly got it when Erinle broke through the Leicester defence. He was tackled by the last man but Paul Sackey and Lewsey were on hand, only for Erinle to throw the ball away instead of finding the support.

Leicester looked to make Wasps pay but Goode was having an off-day with his kicking as he wasted a penalty instead of finding the touchline to launch a Leicester attack.

And when Tigers' fly half did find touch, Leicester's forwards couldn't create any momentum as Wasps' defence held firm.

Tigers' frustration boiled over when replacement Graham Rowntree threw a punch at Will Green but the Wasps prop, who leaves the club after 13 years to play for Leinster, had the last laugh.

He intercepted on 76 minutes and started the Wasps move which led to their second try. Lewsey carried it on before Shaw muscled in with a great run.

The excellent van Gisbergen was then on hand to finish off the move that finished off Leicester.

The full back's conversion made it 29-9 and further ignominy was heaped on Leicester when their forward pack was driven backwards 25 metres by a Wasps rolling maul.

Van Gisbergen added another penalty before Leicester grabbed a late consolation through Scott Bemand's try.

But Wasps had the last word to make sure it was their day.

Gatland had thrown on all his replacements so they could experience playing in a final and they combined to give Rob Hoadley a try, following good work by Martin Purdy.

Van Gisbergen added the conversion, with the referee's whistle sounding seconds later to herald another fantastic win for Wasps at Twickenham.

Wasps: Van Gisbergen, Sackey, Erinle, Lewsey, Voyce (Hoadley 83), King (Brooks 83), Dawson (Fury 83), Payne (Dowd 76), Greening (Leota), Green, Shaw, Birkett (Purdy 83), Hart (Lock 83), Worsley, Dallaglio.

Scorers: Tries - Voyce, Van Gisbergen, Hoadley; Conversions - Van Gisbergen (three); Pens - Van Gisbergen (five); Drop goals - King.

Referee: Chris White.

Attendance: 66,000.

ZURICH GRAND FINAL
Leicester 14, Wasps 39