Wasps have announced that forwards coach Craig Dowd will leave in March to become rugby development manager for North Harbour in New Zealand.
 
The 38-year-old former prop joined the club in 2001 and moved into management when he retired in 2005.

As a player, he won three Guinness Premiership winners medals as well the Heineken Cup in 2004.

“The memories of my time here will stay with me for the rest of my life, I have had a fantastic seven years,” he said.

“I will be sad to leave a club that is very, very close to my heart, but there are other priorities in my life that I have to consider, namely my kids.

“I want to be able to give them the upbringing I had as child in New Zealand and also give them the opportunity get to know their extended family, including their grandparents.

“Ideally, I would have made the move at the end of the season but whilst North Harbour was willing to keep the job open for me for a couple of months, they would not have waited six months.”

Dowd won 59 caps for the All Blacks and as a coach with Wasps, helped the club to the then Powergen Cup last year and a second Heineken Cup victory this May.

“Craig was one of the greatest players of all time and when he moved on to coaching he applied himself with the same commitment and effort that epitomised his playing career,” said Wasps head coach Shaun Edwards.

“He has especially been a help and inspiration to many of the younger players at Wasps.”

Wasps kept their Heineken Cup hopes alive after holding on for victory in a thrilling game at Adams Park.

The home side dominated the first half and led by the inspired Danny Cipriani, went 22-0 ahead with tries from Eoin Reddan, Tom Voyce and Paul Sackey.

Clermont regrouped and long-range tries from Aurelien Rougerie and Vilimoni Delasau set up a dramatic finale.

A late Cipriani penalty sealed victory but Emmanuel Etien’s score in injury time gave Clermont a bonus point.

Although Wasps will be happy to have won the game, the players looked devastated at the final whistle after conceding a bonus point so late.

They now know that they will probably have to win their final pool game at 2006 champions Munster if they are to progress to the last eight.

They were positive right from the outset and full-back Josh Lewsey, starting his first game since England’s World Cup semi-final, made a couple of early breaks before being forced off injured on the half-hour mark.

The home side were sharper and more aggressive at the breakdown and Lawrence Dallaglio’s pressure on Pierre Mignoni led to the opening try.
 
Mignoni lost possession and Reddan kicked the loose ball forward before collecting it and touching down.

But it was Cipriani who was running the show and he boosted his hopes of getting an England call-up with a sensational first-half display.

He produced a moment of sublime brilliance, kicking through at full pace after leaving the Clermont defence for dead, but Sackey could not collect the ball as he dived for it near the line.

Wasps did score soon after through Voyce when he finished off in the corner from Lewsey’s pass following a fine move.

Cipriani made the score 15-0 after just 18 minutes with a penalty before delivering a superb inside pass to Sackey for a sparkling third try.

Alex King’s penalty for Clermont reduced the deficit and Rougerie’s length-of-the-field score after the break following Cipriani’s ill-advised kick to the corner put the French side right back into the game.

The match turned nasty on the hour mark when Canadian flanker Jamie Cudmore unleashed a flurry of punches on Wasps prop Tim Payne, sparking a brawl.

Cudmore was yellow-carded but even though Clermont were down to 14 men, the French side pulled another score back when substitute Delasau jinked his way through the Wasps defence before running the length of the field for a superb individual try.

Wasps piled on the pressure and were denied what they thought should have been a penalty try when Clermont knocked on as the home side tried to feed the ball wide to a three-man overlap.

Cipriani and former Wasp King both missed penalties before Etien was bundled over with the last move of the match.

A Rugby Football Union employee was ejected from Wasps’ Heineken Cup win over Clermont Auvergne after appearing to strike a player with a programme.

Former Wasps skipper Alan Black seemed to aim a blow at Clermont prop Martin Scelzo after a fight erupted during the second half of Wasps’ 25-24 victory.

Wasps chief executive Tony Copsey said Black may be banned from Adams Park after the incident is investigated.

“Something of this nature has never happened before,” Copsey said. “It’s an unfortunate moment for rugby that an incident like this should happen during a fantastic match, possibly one of the best ever Heineken Cup games.

“The club will consider its position and will fully investigate what happened tonight

“We won’t over-react to the situation but want to look at it in its fullness. A season or lifetime ban might be forthcoming.”

Heineken Cup organisers, the European Rugby Cup, confirmed they are to investigate the incident.

The player brawl started in the 58th minute of the game after Clermont’s Canadian flanker Jamie Cudmore landed a flurry of punches on Wasps prop Tim Payne, an incident which led to Cudmore being sin-binned.

Wasps captain Lawrence Dallaglio said: “Let’s get it into perspective. A guy throws six punches and gets yellow-carded whereas another guy hits someone with a programme.

“The incident has to be taken in the context of what happened previously – a guy had thrown a load of punches.”

Wasps head coach Shaun Edwards said he had some sympathy for Black.

“It’s not a lifetime ban. The man felt threatened at the time – a guy had just come flying through and thrown six punches,” he said.

“A civilian of 60-odd years of age would automatically feel threatened. In the end it’s a programme.”

Great try from James Haskell

Wasps prop Phil Vickery has been cited for allegedly trampling on Clermont Auvergne lock Thibaut Privat in last week’s Heineken Cup match.

No date has been set for the hearing so he is able to play in the meantime, and is unlikely to miss the return game against Clermont on Saturday.

If found guilty, Vickery could expect a two or three-week ban, probably ruling him out of the Christmas programme.

Any ban is unlikely to stop him playing in the Six Nations Championship.

Vickery, who has only played twice for Wasps since returning from the World Cup, was banned for two games during the tournament for tripping USA centre Paul Emerick.

He missed two pool matches before returning to lead England to the final where they lost to South Africa.