IT WILL be a miserable Monday for Wasps at their training ground in Acton. Nobody expected the English champions to begin the defence of their title with the same intensity with which they overwhelmed Leicester to take the crown in May, but this was more than a slow start to the season, it was non-existent.

Wasps were torpid, as if this game was nothing more than a continuation of the pre-season friendly series of matches, whereas London Irish played with the precision of a team who knew exactly what was needed. Yesterday was a tactical triumph for the managerial team of Toby Booth, who has replaced Brian Smith as head coach, and Mike Catt, his eyes and ears on the pitch.

Irish were ready for Wasps, they were ready for the limited impact of the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs), and, as ever, they were prepared for the tactical battle at the lineout. It was this familiar territory that led to the early lead when who else but Nick Kennedy pressured an error from Richard Birkett near the Wasps line and Chris Hala’Ufia capitalised for the score. The astute and accurate Peter Hewat converted to give the underdogs a seven-point lead after seven minutes. It was a lead Wasps never threatened.

Apart from one slashing break from Riki Flutey (wearing ten but playing inside-centre) and a lineout opportunity five metres from the Irish line, the champions barely managed a decent first-half field position. In contrast, Irish controlled territory with a combination of superior tactical kicking and the constant danger of Hewat and Sailosi Tagicakibau on the counter-attack.

It is said that the ELVs will result in an inordinate amount of aimless kicking. The warning from Twickenham is that kick without a clue to Irish and they will punish you as ruthlessly as last season. From one Hewat break Raphaël Ibanez was isolated by the angled run of the Australian full-back and Irish gained a penalty to add to the try. Another followed in the wake of a dropped high ball by Josh Lewsey and Irish were away, 13-0 at half-time.

Irish were able to more than match the eyeballing intensity of the champions, but it was in terms of match-thinking that Wasps were embarrassed by opponents who seem to have used the changes in the laws to rethink their way around the field. One particular incident in the first half summed up their mental sharpness. Under the ELVs, defences have to stand five metres behind the scrum. In theory this allows a plundering No 8 like James Haskell a 10m run at the unfortunate fly-half. Irish had none of this. Catt moved to the flank and the brick wall that is Steffon Armitage shifted to fly-half. When Haskell looked up to see the formidable figure of the openside waiting for him, he dropped the ball in shock. Irish nearly scored from the turnover.

It was from a more traditional source of Irish play that the second try was scored, with Richard Thorpe side-stepping through a lumpen Wasps defence in the 53rd minute. Hewat kicked them into a staggering 20-point margin.

Wasps had to strike back and they did through Tom Rees, who along with Flutey was the only Wasp moving in an anything but leaden manner. He burst through the middle of a ruck with Irish guarding the fringes for a strolling score.

Any lingering expectations of one of those trademark Wasps comebacks was dismissed on 63 minutes as Wasps could not keep from creeping within the 5m offside line close to their posts. Hewat booted the lead out to 23-7 and played a hand in another sublime counter-attacking move involving the serrated-edged wing Tagicakibau. Again Wasps were forced to concede the penalty and again Hewat kicked the points with the minimum of fuss. Chris Latham may be getting the big build-up to the start of the Premiership season, but the Wallaby star will have to manufacture quite a debut to eclipse the nigh faultless intelligence of his countryman’s game.

Wasps did score from an Eoin Reddan snipe five minutes from time and should have gained a bonus point in defeat when Hewat, after being charged down, pulled Joe Worsley back off the ball with not an Irish defender in sight. The assistant referee somehow told Andrew Small that a try was unlikely to have resulted from the offence. There will not be a worse decision all season. Wasps — being Wasps — will be furious to have lost a bonus point but in truth nothing was all they deserved. Star man: Peter Hewat (London Irish)

Referee: A Small (RFU)

Attendance: 52,087

Scorers: London Irish: Tries: Hala’Ufia 7, Thorpe 53. Cons: Hewat (2). Pens: Hewat (4) London Wasps: Tries: Rees 59, Reddan 74

Cons: Van Gisbergen, Staunton

Yellow card: London Irish: Hala’Ufia (15min)

London Irish: P Hewat; T Ojo, D Armitage, S Mapusua, S Tagicakibau; M Catt (capt, E Hickey 64min), P Hodgson (P Richards 72min); A Corbisiero (D Murphy 48min), D Coetzee (D Paice 62min), F Rautenbach (J Buckland 60min, A Corbisiero 74-75min), N Kennedy, G Johnson, R Thorpe, C Hala’Ufia (J Fisher 77min), S Armitage

London Wasps: M van Gisbergen (L Mitchell 68min); P Sackey, D Waldouck, J Lewsey (J Staunton h-t), T Voyce; R Flutey, E Reddan; T Payne, R Ibanez (capt, R Webber 68min), P Barnard (P Vickery 51min), S Shaw, R Birkett (T Palmer 51min), J Worsley, J Haskell (J Hart 60min), T Rees