by Alan Bodenham

Wasps' supremo Nigel Melville is confident the champions can avenge their 22-17 league defeat by London Irish at Sunbury last October and reach the semi-finals of the Tetley Bitter Cup when the two clubs clash there again on the weekend of Saturday Feb 28/Sunday March 1.

"We've improved a lot since then," he said. "They caught us just at the right time as far as they were concerned. We'd started to pick up injuries, our balance was disturbed, and we lacked confidence."

Wasps will have been grateful to have avoided the remaining big guns in the Cup, league leaders Newcastle playing Nothampton while Saracens and Richmond meet. West Hartlepool play Sale in the last quarter final.

Meanwhile, Alliance Dunbar Premier League action returns to Loftus Road on Sunday with the visit by Bristol (3pm).

Wasps, who beat the West Country side 38-21 away in August, have never lost a league encounter with their opponents.

Skipper Lawrence Dallaglio, who has missed the last two matches, is set to resume his leadership after a rest has allowed his shoulder injury to recover.

Alex King, who took a rest from the Fylde game, returns at fly-half.

Andy Gomarsall, a replacement at the weekend, is now strongly in the frame. But Melville has yet to decide whether to risk his international scrum half for the full 80 minutes.

Wasps 34

Fylde 8

Wasps' Tetley Bitter Cup (fifth round) victory over Fylde, rock bottom of Division Two, was far from the expected walkover and vast improvement is required if progress is to be maintained.

The Cup is Wasps' last realistic hope of winning a major trophy this season, after a faltering defence of the Allied Dunbar Premiership and an early exit from European competition.

So the devoted supporters, braving the bitter cold at Loftus Road, must have been close to committing mass suicide after the first half display.

The slip-ups and mistakes were too numerous to mention and some of the decision making was not good enough for an U12 contest.

Supremo Nigel Melville denied reading his troops the riot act at half-time, but what was said did the trick, as Wasps improved to win quite comfortably.

The gallant Lancashire outfit came to Loftus Road determined to enjoy the day and gave Wasps an early fright when left wing Mark Preston collected a kick ahead and sprinted for the line, but was stopped short.

Pressure mounted soon afterwards, and Mark Evans opened the scoring when the right winger collected a poor touch kick by Gareth Rees, chipped over the advancing defence and gathered the rebound.

The Loftus Road men mounted attacks but inept play and splendid Fylde tackles kept them out.

Rees landed a couple of penalties, but Stephen Gough was also on target and Fylde held a shock 8-6 interval lead.

Any worries that Fylde might lose were dispelled soon after the break. Shane Roiser scored near the posts, following a good feed by Paul Sampson, who crossed for a try of his own, following determined work by Laurence Grace who dispossessed Gough.

Rees kicked three penalties and when Peter Scrivener got on the end of a powerful forward drive in the closing minutes, the job was done.

International centre Nick Greenstock, delighted after his first game for two months, due to a shoulder injury said: "Our first half play was too fancy, but the change to a more direct approach was just what we wanted."

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