25 years a Wasp

[MarleyWasp]

Please forgive the personal post but today is a milestone for me, it's 25 years to the day since I became a Wasps Rugby fan.

My first match was a preseason friendly against Moseley a week or so after the game went professional. I was a big fan of Rob Andrew and was determined to get his autograph that day, but Sir John Hall beat me to it...

I've put together a couple of threads on the highs and lows on Twitter (there was too much to do in one thread) complete with pictures and videos.

Part 1: https://twitter.com/shrekwasp/status/1301234975606484994?s=19

Part 2:  https://twitter.com/shrekwasp/status/1301243599225528321?s=19

[Neils]

Congratulations and a nice summary threading.

[Steve from Cov]

Congratulations. I enjoy reading your posts.

[GD]

Congratulations from a newbie since the move to Coventry so kudos for 25 years, enjoyed your threads.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

Good stuff, thanks and congratulations.

That tackle by Lawrence in the first thread go me thinking. As a boy soldier I was taught to tackle like that in the mid ‘70s, start low and drive up. As we saw there it is difficult to avoid putting someone beyond the horizontal. 

That has lead to tackles needing to move higher with the tackler standing up a bit more, putting high tackles in the frame.

It’s not easy making a safe legal tackle when someone’s running at you, especially when you add the improved off-loading skills means that the tackler has to try to smother the off-load as well. 

Not a complaint, just an observation on how the game has changed. 

[RogerE]

The trouble with supporting Wasps, apart  from the ups and downs, is that once you have bitten it's hard to escape.

I know, I was taken to my first match when I was 10, and that was in 1957!

[InBetweenWasp]

Trying to recall my first Wasps game, it wasn't 25 years ago though mind-you.

Started out watching England - taking a spare seat in Hospitality on the odd occasion that someone dropped out on the day when my Dad was entertaining clients, then the World Cup Final in '03 flying out to Sydney on the Thursday night and home again into the Office on the Tuesday. 

Went to the '07 World Cup, had tickets to USA but didn't travel out in the end, saw the dross that was the South Africa game in Paris and the Samoa game in Nantes.  Flew out to watch Eng vs Aus in the QF, a very drunken celebratory walk back into the Old Port at Marseille to watch France beat NZ on the big screen then back the next day to watch South Africa scrape past Fiji after they gave them a fright on a glorious sunny day.

Always a Dallaglio and Lewsey fan, so Wasps was the natural team to follow although had been to see a few Irish games at Madjedski as it was technically the closest stadium (it might have even been to see Richmond play there if they ever did). 

I think my first Wasps game was Wasps v Sale in Feb 2007, it was definitely a sale team that had Robinson and Chabal and a Wasps team that had Robinson, Lewsey and Dallaglio, then the next one was Wasps v Gloucester at Adams Park on the 4th May 2008 followed by the Twickenham Final. 

Became a STH from 2009. 

[mike909]

I can't remember my first game - but I was lucky enough to be at the RWC 87 and identified as a Wasp, and was delighted to see "The Judge" play and Rob Andrew get on the pitch and Mark Bailey, and others

I've spent many years bugging my two best mates who happen to be Tigers fans!

[backdoc]

For me the interest was stirred when we won the league the first time, because of the attractive rugby - as shown on TV [Chris Rea?]. I had two mates who had played with Rob Andrew at Nottingham as well.

When the game went Pro I went to the first home game at Loftus Road and after that game bought a season ticket, which was behind Mrs E Dallaglio.

When Clive Woodward came to the games he would sit next to her and receive a frightful ear-bashing from us about Alex King and then Josh Lewsey for England.

[ricohchezwasp]

Been a good friend of David for about 15 years after we met on the beach in Biarritz , just 16 1/2  years for me first game At Adams Park vs Sale January 2004 not sure when my next game will be though !!

[westwaleswasp]

Sir John Hall comment had me smiling.
Great stuff. Was it really 25 years since professionalism? Seems like yesterday....

[MarleyWasp]

Been a good friend of David for about 15 years after we met on the beach in Biarritz , just 16 1/2  years for me first game At Adams Park vs Sale January 2004 not sure when my next game will be though !!

Good times!

[Heathen]

David, it must be mentioned that you have donated a considerable amount of time  during those years, raising money through match day collections, for charities such as Mind.

Well done!