Wasps 13 Exeter 7: Alex Rieder's comeback lasts just six minutes as forward suffers another cruel blow

Wasps’ resilience in adversity condemned the defending champions to a third consecutive league defeat, but this one was overshadowed by the injury sustained to Alex Rieder midway through the second half.

The Wasps back-row forward ­appeared to hyperextend his left knee in a tackle and play was held up for 10 minutes while he was treated by medical staff, before ­being carried off on a stretcher. It was a cruel blow for Rieder, who was returning to action after five months out with a dislocated ­shoulder, but his comeback lasted just six minutes and his season seems certain to be over.

“Alex’s injury looked quite nasty. He’s gone for a scan to see how bad it is, but it’s put a real dampener on the day for us,” said Dai Young, Wasps’ director of rugby. “He’s a real character amongst the squad, he’s been looking forward to ­getting back and worked his socks off after being out with a nasty shoulder ­injury. To be injured after being on for about five minutes you cannot but feel for him.” 

Rieder was the worst of four ­injuries sustained by Wasps in a particularly brutal eight-minute ­period of a ferocious contest, but they demonstrated that they can tackle, as well as attack, by defending heroically in the final quarter.

Space was at such a premium that the only tries were scored during periods when the sides were down to 14 men. Watson pounced while Exeter lock Jonny Hill was sin-binned for a late tackle on Willie Le Roux and Exeter rumbled Luke Cowan-Dickie over after Ashley Johnson was yellow-carded for a clumsy challenge on Don Armand.

Two second-half penalties from Jimmy Gopperth, back after two months out with a knee injury, proved the difference between two evenly-matched sides.

“We said after the Champions Cup down at Harlequins that we let ourselves down in the last 20 ­minutes. We all had to put our hands up and say that Harlequins wanted it a bit more than we did,” Young said. “We pretty much made an agreement amongst ourselves that it wasn’t going to happen again. 

“I thought last week we stood up to be counted. Yes, we can play some quality rugby, we know that, but there are going to be games where we will have to roll our sleeves up and fight for each other and it won’t be all about the quality we have got. It will be about the spirit within the team, the togetherness and the will to go over and above.” Exeter’s latest defeat is their worst run of Aviva Premiership ­results since January 2015 which leaves just five points separating the top three, but their director of rugby, Rob Baxter, was much ­happier with the efforts of his ­players than he was against ­Worcester Warriors last week.

“Last week we were not at the level we needed to be. Today we were at the level in a lot of our ­foundation elements – our desire to fight, how hard we wanted to work and carry, how hard we were ­prepared to scramble and kick chase,” he said.