Wasps say goodbye to Adams Park with win over Castres Olympique

Wasps bade farewell to Adams Park after 12 years with a 44-17 win over Castres Olympique that keeps alive their hopes of qualifying from Pool Two of the European Champions Cup.

Andy Goode struck the post with a penalty on three minutes and, from the restart, Wasps burst forward and Jake Cooper-Woolley touched down to open the scoring, though Goode pushed the conversion wide.

Goode had more success with his third attempt as he extended their lead with a routine penalty on eight minutes.

Wasps went further ahead on 24 minutes when James Haskell's quick hands teed up Nathan Hughes, who skipped clear of the Castres line and slid home.

The visitors closed the gap through hooker Marc-Antoine Rallier's try on the half-hour mark, but Tom Varndell finished off a slick passing move a minute later as Wasps began to dominate.

The bonus point was wrapped up two minutes before the interval when Castres lost possession at the scrum, allowing Ben Jacobs to seize on the loose ball and run home under the posts, with Goode adding the extras.

Castres did their best to spoil things for the home fans with a lengthy spell of territory and possession at the start of the second half that culminated with a Max Evans try on 53 minutes.

However, with Wasps on the back foot, Varndell broke clear to finish off a swift counter-attack and grab his second try of the afternoon, with Goode again hitting the outside of the post with the conversion attempt.

Guy Thompson notched Wasps' sixth try when he drove home following a close-range line out, as Dai Young saw his side leave Adams Park with a flourish that even Florian Houerie's late try could not ruin.

To complete the occasion, Jacobs went over for his second try of the afternoon with the final play of the game.

Wasps continue their season when they host London Irish in the Aviva Premiership next weekend, but it is at their new home of the Ricoh Arena where the game will be played.