WASPS missed out on a coveted Champions Cup place after they were beaten 20-10 by Premiership leaders Leicester Tigers on the final day of the Gallagher Premiership season.
Lee Blackett’s side scored their only try through Will Porter late in the second half as Wasps struggled to penetrate the Premiership’s best defence at Welford Road.
The result means Wasps must settle for a ninth place finish which means they will play in the European Challenge Cup next season having missed out on a top-eight finish by just three points.
And Leicester raced into an early lead when Guy Porter ran in unopposed after just two minutes with George Ford adding the extras from right in front of the posts.
In his final game for the club, Jimmy Gopperth reduced the deficit on 48 minutes when he kicked a penalty as Wasps finally troubled the scoreboard.
However, the Tigers struck again on 61 minutes when Freddie Steward dove over in the corner and Ford superbly kicked the touchline conversion.
And the game was taken further out of Wasps’ reach when Ford added a penalty on 67 minutes to put two converted tries between the teams.
Wasps scored their only try on 68 minutes when Josh Bassett superbly offloaded into the hands of Porter who raced away to score in the corner with Charlie Atkinson brilliantly adding the conversion from the touchline.
However, any hopes of a Wasps comeback were ended on 73 minutes when Ford kicked his second penalty of the game to ensure Leicester finished the season with a perfect home record in the league.
Wasps will hope to bounce back next season having struggled throughout an injury hit campaign but showed signs of promise in the latter months only to fall short in the final few games.
