It’s such a shock… Wasps are a huge part of my life
WHAT has happened at Wasps has really shocked me. I had no idea they were in so much trouble. It is sad to see as the club means so much to me — and a lot of other people.
I met the owner and to me he was a true rugby man. He took his family out of London to try to make a go of it and make Wasps super successful when they moved to Coventry. They were getting crowds of 20-25,000 in the first few years — and were so close to becoming Premiership champions. Wasps were thinking big when they made their move. Unfortunately, crowds have dropped to about half of what they were four or five years ago. But I didn’t realise the situation was so bad, especially when they signed Vincent Koch from Saracens in the summer. He is one of the world’s best tightheads — a man any team would want in the squad. So I thought they must be financially OK. Instead, it looks like they are going into administration and will be relegated.
The club was a big part of my life. Without Wasps, it would have been difficult for me to have a relationship with my son. I wanted to prove myself in rugby union, but another huge reason for me going to Wasps was that it was in west London, close to where my son was. Looking back at the great times we had when I was coaching there, we always punched above our weight. A lot of players came to Wasps because they wanted to win things and be part of an environment where they could improve. They would accept less money because they saw it as a route to the England team. People would comment about how the training ground was no good, but we loved it. We had a strong spirit. A lot of us had been discarded by someone else and we all came together and had a lot of fun.
My favourite moment was winning the Heineken Cup in 2007. It was a normal Wasps performance — everyone had written us off and Leicester were expected to complete a Treble. It was a strong Tigers team, they had won the Premiership the week before, but we had a plan which was a bit different. We were prepared to take a risk, and it worked. I still have friends at the club so I hope they find a way out of this. The thing about Wasps is that, normally, they bounce back. They have a spirit which is almost unexplainable.