IT WAS not like attending the launch of a rocket, but at least the EDF Energy Cup staggered into some sort of life. Although Gloucester left out a chunk of their top team and Wasps left out almost all of theirs, it was passably entertaining and passably committed.

Gloucester had more scoring power against a team that was willing and well-organised, but too disjointed behind the scrum to threaten. There were just a few signs that teams are now finding ways to get around the law experiments. Wasps made ground with some accurate pick-and-drives on the fringes and Gloucester’s flat-line backs were occasionally dangerous. Yet neither side had a midfield genius to carry them forward. Gloucester’s main scoring weapon was the footballing excellence of Willie Walker at full-back and there was little return from their midfield, although Jack Adams did make some inroads.

Perhaps bizarrely, the young players that Wasps brought in were more impressive than those of Gloucester, even though the hosts were the better side. For me, the most striking figure in the match was Rob Webber. The hooker missed the target with some of his throws, but he has such size and ebullience with the ball in hand that he could soon be level with Dylan Hartley of Northampton as the next generation of England No 2s steps forward.

The event itself veers between the significant and the ropey, depending on priorities. These days, if teams are to compete in all tournaments they need a professional squad of around 250. Most teams are waiting to see if they can win their home games before committing themselves.

Wasps were accurate and clever in the opening stages and it was a shame that due to hesitation, unfamiliarity and poor handling, their attacking play later on became poor. They silenced Kingsholm after only five minutes when the ageless Serge Betsen made ground in the middle and Wasps moved the ball rapidly down the left. Tom Voyce made ground down his wing, Dominic Waldouck backed him up on the inside and Mark Robinson picked up Waldouck’s pass from the floor and scored. It was a well-executed try.

Gloucester came hammering back. Walker kicked his first penalty and Ryan Lamb, on trial after recent below-par performances, dropped a goal. We then had a remarkable Gloucester try, started when Lamb put Alasdair Dickinson through with a clever pass and the Scottish prop took off at a remarkable rate for a member of the front-row brethren. This began a churning movement involving Rory Lawson, Andy Hazell, Mark Foster and Alex Brown, and such was the intensity of Gloucester’s attack that when Lamb chipped cleverly to the opposite wing, Lesley Vainikolo had so much time he could easily have chatted to the crowd before touching down.

Walker was to kick another penalty later in the half against one by Jeremy Staunton, but Wasps scored near the interval when their precision around the fringes paid off. Lawson was charged down as he tried to clear, Wasps gathered the ball and outstanding driving took play to the Gloucester line. Robinson appeared to lose the ball forward for Wasps, but the officiating was shaky all day and James Haskell was given the try after picking up the loose ball and going over. Wasps could have gone in at the break ahead had Staunton not missed the conversion.

Gloucester had the better of the third quarter. After a punishing scrum, Lamb held the ball to draw in the Wasps defence before firing a long pass to Vainikolo. A clever inside pass then gave Walker an easy run-in, his conversion making it 21-16. Walker extended the lead to 24-16 with another penalty, but the attacking dynamism of the match died as replacements arrived.

When Dave Walder kicked a penalty with three minutes left on the clock, there was a chance Wasps would escape with a dramatic late win, as they did last year. However, their ploy of pumping the ball down-field to try to win an attacking line-out did not work. Gloucester ran down the clock by keeping the ball in hand and a final Wasps handling error gave the home side the win.

- DANNY CIPRIANI was withdrawn from the Wasps squad to face Gloucester because of stiffness in his ankle. The England fly-half had been due to start yesterday’s match on the bench but Wasps decided not to risk him.

Cipriani broke his ankle against Bath in May and made an earlier-than-expected comeback against the same opposition last week. He played 51 minutes in the defeat to Bath on Wednesday and, although he missed yesterday’s match, Ian McGeechan is confident that he will be fit for the start of Wasps’ Heineken Cup campaign next Sunday.

Star man:Willie Walker (Gloucester)

GLOUCESTER: W Walker; M Foster, J Adams, M Tindall (capt), L Vainikolo; R Lamb, R Lawson; A Dickinson, O Azam (S Lawson 49min), D Young, M Bortolami (A Eustace 48min), A Brown, A Satala (P Buxton 54min (A Satala 56-62min)), A Strokosch, A Hazell.

WASPS:L Mitchell; M Odejobi, D Waldouck, R Hoadley (D Walder 56min), T Voyce; J Staunton, M Robinson (E Reddan 51min); T French (C Beech 75min), R Webber, M Holford, S Shaw, R Birkett, J Haskell, J Worsley (capt), S Betsen (D Leo 65min).

Scorers: Gloucester:Tries: Vainikolo 23, Walker 47. Con: Walker. Pens: Walker (3). DG: Lamb Wasps: Tries: Robinson 5, Haskell 36. Pens: Staunton (2), Walder

Referee:M Fox (RFU) Attendance:8,000