Sackey sprint boosts Wasps' hopes of Premiership Grand Final

The real feat about Sackey's devastating try, his 18th during an outstanding season, was not his 50-metre dash but that he managed to catch a wayward pass from Danny Cipriani.

On a night when his club admitted that Cipriani, their imperious fly half, was still "not 100 per cent" after a viral infection, Wasps owed the win as much to Tom Rees and his pack as Sackey's opportunism.

Head coach Shaun Edwards said: "Paul's the best wing in Europe, along with Shane Williams. Paul has come on leaps and bounds this season. He's turned all that potential into the real deal."

Once Sackey's try had broken the resistance of a brave young Newcastle team revolving around the imaginative fly half skills of 18-year-old Rob Miller, Wasps turned the screw. The only surprise was that the bonus-point try did not arrive until five minutes from time, when Josh Lewsey picked such an exquisite line to slice through a crowded defence from 15 metres that no one could lay a hand on him.

The five points hoisted Wasps back into third place. Another fivepoint haul against relegated Leeds on Saturday will give Lawrence Dallaglio every chance of a home semi-final on Sunday week.

Director of rugby McGeechan said: "Our forwards were outstanding but we were a bit careless with some of our decision-making. Now we're in a position where we can have a big say in the play-offs."

Even without their quartet of England backs, Newcastle hurled themselves into the match as though their lives depended on it.

They hounded Wasps into enough early mistakes to warrant a better return than a sixth-minute penalty from Tom May, deputising for Jonny Wilkinson. Wasps followed Cipriani's equalising penalty with the opening try. Riki Flutey's exquisite chip-and-catch paved the way for James Haskell to plunge over, only for Newcastle to strike back with a thrilling corner try from May engineered in brilliant fashion by Miller.

Haskell's ploughing run created the platform for Rees to touch down Wasps' second try. Miller's sumptuous pass allowed Ollie Phillips to scorch over in the right corner before Sackey's blazing run ended the contest.