Harlequins (6) 20
Tries: Care, Strettle Cons: Evans 2 Pens: Evans 2
Wasps (11) 21
Tries: Simpson, Hart Con: Walder Pens: Cipriani 2, Walder

Wasps held on for a narrow victory in front of a record crowd at Twickenham

John Hart's try earned Wasps a nail-biting win in front of a Premiership record crowd of 76,716 at Twickenham.

David Strettle's embarrassing mistake handed Wasps' Joe Simpson a late Christmas gift after just five minutes.

Shoddy kicking was a feature of the encounter, Danny Cipriani missing a number of penalty attempts on his first start since breaking a leg in October.

Danny Care's score gave Quins hope but Hart's 74th-minute try settled the tie, before Strettle's late consolation.

The Twickenham crowd is a record for a domestic Premiership fixture outside the final, which last season attracted 81,601 spectators for Leicester's victory over London Irish.

The previous best had been the 50,000 attendance for the game between Harlequins and Leicester last year, also at Twickenham.

Strettle would not have appreciated the bumper crop of supporters looking on as his mistake gave Wasps a valuable early advantage.

George Skivington charged through the middle of the Quins defence following a tap kick, then chipped the ball forward towards Strettle, who should have dealt with it.

But the Quins winger let the ball slip out from underneath him, presenting Simpson with the easiest of scores.

Both Cipriani and Harlequins kicker Nick Evans wasted too many opportunities to put points on the board, to the frustration of their respective team-mates.

Evans started well, and his two penalties overhauled Simpson's early score, but lost his way with two poor misses later in the half.

It's nice to get back on the pitch after going through many disruptions, especially as we won Danny Cipriani

Though Wasps had just about earned their lead at the interval, they suffered a blow 10 minutes into the second half as Simpson left the field holding his wrist.

Cipriani, who disappointed on his return with five missed kicks from seven, soon followed Simpson as Wasps opted to replace the 22-year-old England fly-half with David Walder.

"I was disappointed with my goalkicking but I was pretty pleased with the rest of my game," said Cipriani, who also brushed aside questions about rumoured talks with French side Stade Francais, after the game.

"One in the second half I should have got. I'm only going for them because I believe I can get them. I probably tried a bit too hard.

"It's about getting back into the rhythm and used to things.

"It's nice to get back on the pitch after going through many disruptions, especially as we won."

Walder's first contribution was to have his kick charged down by Evans, but five minutes later he added three points with a swirling penalty from a narrow angle.

Care put Harlequins right back into the game as he finished off a period of sustained pressure in the 68th minute, before Simon Shaw's offload set Wasps' Hart clear to put the game beyond reach.

Strettle recovered from his early error to break free and score in the final moments but, though Evans hastily converted, Quins ran out of time to catch their London rivals.

Harlequins head coach John Kingston:

"We were aware it was a pivotal game and we wanted to perform in front of that crowd in this arena.

"For whatever reason we didn't do that. We've got 11 games to go and can go on a run, but it's not good enough to concede soft tries.

"It was a magnificent occasion and hats off to the club for staging it. Quins showed today that we have a huge amount to offer rugby."

Wasps director of rugby Tony Hanks:

"We weren't anywhere near our best but we took our chances well. It was 10 days since we last played and that didn't suit us.

"We're really pleased to take the win and it shows the growth in the team. We showed maturity and patience."

Wasps fly-half Danny Cipriani:

"I enjoyed it today. We got the win, which was the main focus. We put together some nice passages of play.

"My big focus is taking the line on again and going forward. I'll hopefully put a string of games together for Wasps.

"If England come calling then that would be amazing because I'd love to be involved."

Harlequins: Brown, Strettle, Tiesi, Mordt, Monye, N. Evans, Care, Jones, Fuga, Lambert, Stevenson, Robson, Robshaw, Skinner, Easter.

Replacements: Lowe for Mordt (59), Croall for Jones (64), Brooker for Fuga (49), Andress for Lambert (48), Percival for Stevenson (48), Guest for Skinner (64).
Not Used: Dickson, Clegg.

Wasps: van Gisbergen, Sackey, Waldouck, Kefu, Lemi, Cipriani, Simpson, Payne, Webber, Broster, Shaw, Skivington, Hart, Betsen, Ward-Smith.

Replacements: Jacobs for Kefu (70), Walder for Cipriani (56), Robinson for Simpson (51), Rice for Payne (58), Baker for Broster (71).
Not Used: Ward, Leo, Matthews.

Att: 76,716.

Ref: Dave Pearson (RFU).

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