A drop goal 90 seconds from time by Dave Walder gave Wasps their first win on the road this season, ending five years of defeat and bad feeling in Stockport.

The fly‑half's kick, with his side ­trailing by two points, took the gloss off a perfect kicking display by his opposite number Charlie Hodgson. Hodgson, his eyes firmly on a place in England's World Cup squad in 11 months, landed eight out of eight kicks on a night spoiled by a greasy ball and two sides struggling to repeat former glories. For a man ­making his first appearance of the season he also managed the game reasonably well although his coach, Mike Brewer, seemed to see it differently.

"We endeavoured to lose the game and we did," said the Newfor once, instead of the penalty, a more adventurous option was chosen and rewarded when Wasps drove their line‑out. First the ­replacement hooker Rob Webber – who managed only five minutes' play before being sent to the sin bin – broke free before Ward-Smith, in the second row, wriggled over.

Against that, and despite Brewer's comments later, the Sale fly-half kicked eight out of eight penalties in the first game since damaging his shoulder with England in Australia and New Zealand. The fly-half, who has missed two World Cups with injury, has been looking to play a more open game but it was his boot which ruled the roost.

Walder matched him kick for kick in the first half but then had to watch a monster from 50 metres sail