Even if Leslie does join them, it is going to be a long season. Newcastle: Penalties Wilkinson 5. But in between those scores Rees struck again with his second penalty to leave Newcastle without a win in the Premiership. First he banged over a penalty, then he took a sweet inside pass from Huw Harries and, with a turn of speed which surprised himself, he made it to the posts, converted and Harlequins took the lead they were never to lose. Wilkinson did strike another two penalties. That was as near as either team came to scoring a try, Newcastle having the last word of the half when Wilkinson slotted his third penalty, though they ought to have made more of three vigorous assaults on the Quins' line. Now it was Rees's turn to do the talking. At crucial moments, too, Newcastle failed to do the obvious, allowing Quins to snuff out the threat with their insistent cover tackling. Jonny Wilkinson had given Newcastle the lead with two penalties; one from 45 metres and the other from nearer the posts, before Rees cut into it with a neat dropped goal after Sanderson had made the most of a rare Wilkinson handling mistake and hacked the loose ball to within a few feet of the Newcastle line.

They did so with a marvellous defensive display - Pat Sanderson was quite outstanding - which, added to Rees's spectacular contribution, was just enough to earn them the three League points. Newcastle had sufficient possession to have won, but they lacked the essential creativity in midfield; a problem they are clearly aware of if rumours that they are about to sign the Scotland centre, John Leslie, are to be believed. He kept Newcastle pinned in their own half with his skilful use of a diagonal wind, to ensure that if Newcastle were going to attack, it would only be from long range. Having being rolled over by Treviso in the European Cup at The Stoop last week, Quins decided they were going to have to roll up their sleeves if they were to recover from that lamentable effort. The Canadian has bulked up a bit since he appeared as a Harrow schoolboy for Wasps in a Twickenham Cup final, and he is not as mobile as he once was, but the Rees rugby brain is still as active as ever. Not only did Rees score all Quins' points, but his tactical adroitness in the second half was something to behold. Gareth Rees, that man of many parts since he set out on rugby's long and winding road with Oak Bay Castaways, became a man of all the colours when he inspired Harlequins to victory with a virtuoso performance at Kingston Park yesterday. The Canadian has bulked up a bit since he appeared as a Harrow schoolboy for Wasps in a Twickenham Cup final, and he is not as mobile as he once was, but the Rees rugby brain is still as active as ever. Gareth Rees, that man of many parts since he set out on rugby's long and winding road with Oak Bay Castaways, became a man of all the colours when he inspired Harlequins to victory with a virtuoso performance at Kingston Park yesterday. Bath: Tries Gardiner, Maggs; Conversion Preston; Penalties Preston 3. Wasps: J Ufton; J Lewsey, F Waters, M Denney, K Logan; A King, B Shelbourne; D Molloy, T Leota, W Green, A Reed, S Shaw, L Dallaglio (capt), Joe Worsley, P Scrivener. Bath: M Perry; I Balshaw, M Tindall, P De Glanville (capt, S Berne, 20), K Maggs; M Catt, J Preston; V Ubogu, M Regan, C Horsman (J Mallett, 73), B Sturnham, S Borthwick, B Clarke (M Haag, 39), A Gardiner (G Thomas, 65), D Lyle. Referee: R Goodliffe (Yorkshire)..

However, Preston hit the post with his wide-angled conversion attempt, and the two-point shortfall enabled King to settle it with a second drop goal five minutes from time. Wasps: Tries Denney, Waters; Conversions Logan 2; Penalty Logan; Drop goals King 2. Jon Preston's marksmanship took the West Countrymen to within four points of Wasps, and the visitors then took the lead for the first time on 66 minutes when Mike Tindall, England's next outside centre, split the Wasps defence in two and sent Kevin Maggs stampeding into the left corner with a round-the-corner pass right out of the Simon Halliday handbook. Denney also made a big statement in injury time, when he buried Iain Balshaw with a wrap-up tackle as the Bath wing attempted to launch one final attack from his own line. Yet Bath could, perhaps should, have stolen at least a share of the spoils. "He's a bright, intelligent footballer and he is also extremely ambitious. What's happened over the last year is that he has become stronger and fitter." That much was obvious three minutes into the second half.

Bath had worked their way back into the contest with a blind-side try from Angus Gardiner bang on the interval whistle, but Denney's muscular romp into the Bath 22 opened the door for Alex King to drop a goal and give the Londoners a 10-point advantage. Denney, who claimed the first try with a stiletto-sharp dart between Catt and De Glanville, has always been considered an exciting, if wayward, talent and his performance yesterday rewarded those who have handled him with such patience and understanding. "He's a lot closer to making the most of his ability than he has ever been," said Nigel Melville, the Wasps coach. But the casualties, high profile though they undoubtedly were, did not swing the argument one way or the other. Wasps won, deservedly, because they performed quite brilliantly in the opening half-hour, rocking the visitors with their dynamic, high-octane brand of contact rugby. They were 17-3 up by the end of the first quarter, a period in which both Waters and the outstanding Mark Denney asked more questions of the Bath midfield than Mike Catt, Mike Tindall and De Glanville were able to answer. Robinson could not offer a precise diagnosis of De Glanville's condition, but he has written him out of Friday's big Heineken Cup encounter at Swansea. Bath may also have to brave the wilds of St Helen's without their most experienced loose forward, for Ben Clarke popped a rib shortly before the interval.