Quite where Danny Cipriani will be playing his rugby next season remains unclear but this was the latest glimpse of his rare talents as he prepares for the next chapter of his career.
The enigmatic fly-half, who is leaving Wasps at the end of the campaign and is expected to move to France to join Stade Français or Racing 92, orchestrated a victory that secured third place for Dai Young’s team.
A trip to Saracens in the play-off semi-finals now awaits on 19 May, while Newcastle must travel to the leaders and defending champions, Exeter, on the same day.
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Cipriani departed early in the second half with a minor ankle knock, although it will not curtail his involvement against Saracens, and by then it was job done.
The 30-year-old took centre stage during a one-sided first half, laying on a try for the England wing Elliot Daly with a delightful long pass before showing impressive strength to touch down himself on the stroke of half-time.
Three minutes after the interval Cipriani’s intelligent kick sent Josh Bassett over in the right corner before Newcastle roused themselves in a gallant second-half fightback, which harvested three tries in nine minutes during the final quarter.
There will be a time to judge properly how good these sides actually are but it was not at a sun-kissed Kingston Park, which housed its second capacity crowd of the season.
That test will come in the play-offs and Dai Young, not for the first time this season, could not hide his frustration after Wasps switched off when they appeared to be coasting to victory.
“That has been our achilles heel and pretty much the story of our season since Christmas,” said Young.
“I’ve just told the players that we aren’t going to win at Sarries with a 60-minute performance. It’s as simple as that.”
Newcastle have breathed passion and romance into the Premiership this season and will recall key men such as Toby Flood, Vereniki Goneva and Sinoti Sinoti for the trip to Sandy Park, a ground where they have known only defeat.
“We’ll learn from today and we’ve got almost two weeks to come up with a game plan to face Exeter,” said the director of rugby, Dean Richards.
“We know we’re capable of winning away from home and going there doesn’t faze us. The season hasn’t finished,” he added.
Wasps’ hooker, Tom Cruse, charged down Josh Matavesi’s kick to put the visitors in front and Cipriani sent Daly strolling over before he added a third himself on the stroke of half-time. Then came Cipriani’s assist for Bassett before he succumbed to injury – only for his replacement and former Newcastle favourite Jimmy Gopperth to finish off a fine break down the right flank for a fifth Wasps try.
Yet Richards has fashioned a side with guts and Matavesi showed the Wasps defence a clean pair of heels to race clear down the left before the wing Zach Kibirige and lock Evan Olmstead added further home scores.
The visiting flanker Thomas Young was sin-binned before Willie le Roux scarpered clear from distance for a sixth Wasps try after Gopperth set him free.
For both these sides greater challenges lie ahead.
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