Wasps had no idea, even a couple of weeks ago, that their house-warming party in Coventry would go so remarkably well. A record crowd for a Premiership fixture at a club ground cheered them to a 48-16 bonus-point victory over London Irish on Sunday, a far cry from the grim days of recent memory when the club were on the brink of financial oblivion.
They may struggle to attract an attendance of 28,254 every week but the queues to enter the stadium seemed to indicate a clear appetite for another Premiership side in the Midlands. Dai Young, the Wasps’ director of rugby, described it as “a fantastic achievement” and hopes the feelgood factor will be maintained into the new year with the team having risen into the top six, above their new Midlands’ rivals Leicester on points difference.
“You couldn’t help feeling a little bit emotional before the game,” admitted Young, a former Wales and Lions prop. “Two seasons ago we were pretty much playing for photocopying paper. Now we are in a fantastic stadium with fantastic support. Today was a big day for people who have been around this club for the last couple of seasons.
“Retaining 28,000 people is probably going to be unrealistic in the short term but it’s certainly a good way to start. It’s up to us. If we can do a good job on the field it’s going to help off it. But you have to have the interest there in the first place and there’s certainly a lot of interest in the area.”
As well as handing out thousands of Wasps’ flags, the club also laid on a variety of off-field entertainment including a live band in the venue’s indoor exhibition area. The players also did their bit, scoring four tries, with the locally-born fly-half Andy Goode setting a new individual record for a Premiership match by scoring 33 points in his side’s victory.
Goode, a long-time Coventry City supporter, could barely believe how well the day went for him. “It sounds a bit cheesy but it’s the sort of thing dreams are made of,” he said. “It couldn’t have gone any better. I’ve been a fair few times with friends to watch Coventry City play, so to run out at that arena is unbelievable. Cliches are made for days like this but Christmas has come early.
“I said to the guys beforehand that we couldn’t get carried away by the emotion of it. Obviously everyone wanted to put on a spectacle for the fans and for everyone who has put in all the hard work to get this on.
“I told the players not to do anything they wouldn’t do for a normal game, not to try to be a hero, and to stick to what we do in training.”
Wasps’ move was made possible by the Irish businessman Derek Richardson’s takeover of the 32,000-capacity Ricoh Arena facility, which also includes a hotel and a casino. In their final game at Wycombe the previous weekend, the team were watched by 6,500 spectators.