Fairytales do sometimes come true and for London Wasps, climbing from tenth in the Gunniess Premiership at the end of the World Cup in October to second and with it a home play-off against Bath on Sunday is only part of the “stranger than fiction” story. Few outside the West Country would bet against Lawrence Dallaglio completing his career with an appearance in the Twickenham final on May 31.

Leeds Carnegie led by nine points in 17 minutes, which Dallaglio admitted was not part of the script, nor was the right knee injury that put Paul Sackey on crutches on Saturday night. A scan will show if the England wing has medial ligament trouble, but Ian McGeechan, the Wasps director of rugby, hoped the problem was restricted to bruising.

Serge Betsen, 34, the Biarritz flanker with 63 France caps, has been linked with Wasps for next season, but the present squad's finale made Dallaglio purr with pleasure. “There has been no luck,” he said. “It has been a great effort and we have earned our success. Playing Bath at Adams Park gives us an advantage. No one has won an away play-off semi-final.”

Wasps ran in six tries, including three from Tom Voyce, dubbed the eel, who was at his slippery best, but Leeds, already relegated and set for life in Division One next season, scored three of their own as Stuart Lancaster, the director of rugby, bade farewell after a 16-year association to become the RFU's head of elite player development. Whoever succeeds Lancaster will have a testing time.

Scorers: Leeds Carnegie: Tries: Biggs (26min), Hepworth 59), Fourie (65). Conversions: Di Bernardo 2. Penalty goals: Di Bernardo 3 (6, 12, 17). London Wasps: Tries: Voyce 3 (19, 34, 73), Waters (40), Ibanez (49), Ward (61). Conversions: Staunton. Penalty goal: Staunton (31). Scoring sequence (Leeds Carnegie first): 3-0, 6-0, 9-0, 9-7, 16-7, 16-10, 16-17, 16-24 (half-time), 16-31, 21-31, 21-38, 28-38, 28-45.

Leeds Carnegie: L Hinton; S Armstrong (rep: J Hepworth, 19min), R Vickerman, J Holtby, T Biggs; A Di Bernardo (rep: A Greendale, 71), J Bedford (rep: D Edwards, 40); M MacDonald, V Ma'asi (rep: R Rawlinson, 52), T McGee (rep: A Hopcroft, 56), S Hooper, K Myall, J Dunbar (rep: P Bouza, 56), H Fourie, A Balding (rep: M Lock, 48).

Wasps: M van Gisbergen; P Sackey (rep: J Lewsey, 18), F Waters, R Flutey, T Voyce; J Staunton, E Reddan (rep: M McMillan, 48); T French (rep: T Payne, 40), R Ibanez (rep: J Ward, 54; D Cipriani 70-76), M Holford, S Shaw (rep: R Birkett, 61), T Palmer, J Worsley (rep: R Webber, 62), J Haskell, L Dallaglio.

Referee: A Small
Attendance: 7842.