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Wasps and Saracens through to EPCR semi-finals

Sport360 staff 00:43 10/04/2016
Wasps will take on Saracens in the first European Champions Cup semi-final.

Jimmy Gopperth’s last-ditch conversion completed a stunning comeback as Wasps beat English rivals Exeter 25-24 in a thrilling European Champions Cup quarter-final on Saturday.

Two-time European champions Wasps were 24-11 behind early in the second half but staged a dramatic rally, with Kiwi full-back Charles Piatau scoring two tries.

The second of those left Gopperth with a touchline conversion to win the match with the last kick of the game and Piatau’s fellow Kiwi made no mistake with the difficult kick.

“As a goalkicker they are the moments you practice night and day,” 32-year-old Gopperth told BBC Radio Five Live.

“I had to treat it as my first kick of the match. I was relaxed and as soon as it hit the foot I’ve never celebrated so much. As soon as I struck it, I knew it was good.

“The win was a great team effort from that position and we showed a lot of character. I was happy to finish it off for the boys.”

ASHTON STARS AS SARACENS MAKE SEMIS

Chris Ashton scored a try against his former club as Saracens came from behind to beat English rivals Northampton 29-20 in the other European Champions Cup quarter-final.

Premiership leaders Saracens, looking to be crowned champions of Europe for the first time after losing the 2014 final to Toulon, were unusually subdued for much of the match at their Allianz Park ground.

But Ashton in his second game back from suspension, helped take them into a decisive lead with a 68th-minute try.

Farrell converted and his subsequent penalty put the match beyond the reach of Northampton, European champions in 2000, at 22-13 before United States wing Chris Wyles extended Saracens’ lead with another try.

Courtney Lawes’s converted score was too little too late for Northampton.

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