Who are you really?

[Davidabricot]

Hi there! My name is David, I'm from France. I was born in Castres 31 years ago. I'm currently student at the Bournemouth Universtity (green economy) through a distance learning program (I resumed my studies after some unlucky working years). I'm also a (lucky) Castres Olympique fans. But as the top14 is terribly boring, I prefer to watch premiership. I can't really remember why I used to follow wasps.

[Vespula Vulgaris]

Bonjour David!

Welcome to the forum.

[Rifleman Harris]

Welcome David.

[Chilham]

Bienvenue David!

[westwaleswasp]

Welcome David.
France are my second team after England. I long for the days when Le crunch was the 5 nations final, as it was then!
 

[Davidabricot]

Hey thank you so much! Merci! Aha to me, France is my second team (players are boasters in the medias and too much arrogant, I can't stand this). And my club is Wasps. During my childhood I went to the stadium of my local team, Castres, which was playing the Wasps. I understood nothing, the black and yellow were fast and I enjoyed what they did. Then I realized that they were not the team from Castres  .

@westwaleswasp
Normally the crunch is supposed to make its great come back, as the coach has changed, as well as most of the team. But I'm not sure that things are going to change. The top14 is too tiring and clubs don't want to send players in the national team.

[skybluewaspie]

Been meaning to do this for a while so here goes. Real name is Sue & I’ve been following Wasps since 1985. Born & grew up in Coventry & got into watching rugby as a little kid when my mum used to take my brother & myself to watch Cov play at Coundon Rd. Have been going to rugby matches ever since although my brother has since gone to the dark side & watches league now. Started going to watch Wasps games after going to uni in London & chose Wasps as a certain fly half/ full back playing for them had played for Cov (yes, I had a teenage crush on Huw Davies!). Have followed Wasps ever since from Sudbury to Coventry via Loftus Rd & Adams Park. Now live in Letchworth & unfortunately I don’t get to as many matches as I’d like nowadays but when I do, I bring my mum along too as she is now a Wasps fan. Been to most of the finals Wasps have been in, best one being against the European cup final against Toulouse when we got invited to watch the game in the box of one of our current sponsors by my best friends husband who worked for them - don't think he quite banked on 2 women jumping around & screaming their heads off when Rob Howley scored in the corner as he tried to do some business deals!

[Vespula Vulgaris]

Hi Sue, nice to meet you.

[Chilham]

... Started going to watch Wasps games after going to uni in London & chose Wasps as a certain fly half/ full back playing for them had played for Cov (yes, I had a teenage crush on Huw Davies!)...

Ha!  My first training session at Sudbury, after an initial warm-up, Hector (or was it Muttley) shouted, 'Pair-off, fireman's lift to the 22, swap and back".  Being the newbie, I stood around when someone grabbed me by the arm, spun me round, and said, "Come on".  I suspect Huw was looking around for the biggest lump he could find to test his fitness.  He lifted and we were one of the first to the 22.  Swapped and were one of the last back to the try line.   

He was a good guy.  Some of the 1st XV were 'up themselves' and not so welcoming to the junior club players.  Others like Huw, Simon Smith, Rees, Judge etc., were alright.  Learned a lot from them.

[RogerE]

Some of the 1st XV were 'up themselves' and not so welcoming to the junior club players.

That was true even back in the late 60s.

I found it a bit off-putting when I joined from London Welsh, where the likes of Dawes and JPR were welcoming to even me as a newly joined schoolboy.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

Hi all,

Real name Simon. I'm really a Yorkshireman, but after 18 years in the Royal Signals, including 5 years at the School of Signals, Blandford Forum, we always said we'd retire to this area. Prior to moving here we'd lived in a small village near High Wycombe called Studley Green and it was about a 3 mile walk to Adams Park.

Whilst I'd been a rugby fan for many years, starting out in league as a child in the '60s, I never supported a specific team, being in the Army wasn't conducive to being a team fan. I first saw Wasps live on a corporate jolly at the 2004 Heineken Cup Final and was impressed. That's when I started going to watch them at Adams Park and if you ever saw anyone coming from the West side, over the hill, covered in mud, that was me  Well, anything for a beer and not paying for parking (did I say I was a Yorkshireman ).

My job meant I travelled a lot so I didn't see as many games as I would have liked and became mostly a TV fan and I never miss a TV game. My move to here and Wasps' move to Ricoh means its 4.5 hours each way, making it even harder to get to games. However we have a motorhome and I keep threatening to drive up in that as I see Leamington Spa RFC allow motorhomes to stay overnight.

I don't expect to be posting much, I just wanted somewhere to get more information and a feel for what's going on from real fans and ask a few questions.

I play golf, sail (I have my own boat), man safety boats for a disabled sailing charity (Sailability), walk a lot, get to the gym when I can, disappear in the motorhome with my wife who is a painter,  and my motto is adventure before dementia.
 

[Chilham]

Hi Simon

"Adventure before dementia".  Love it.

[Bloke in North Dorset]

Hi Simon

"Adventure before dementia".  Love it.

Wish I could claim it as my own, but still feel free to steal it as I did 

[coddy]

Yea as a Adventure Bike rider I'm nicking that! 😉

[Vespula Vulgaris]

As a fellow yorkshireman living in the south (I like to think of myself as a missionary) welcome to the forums.

North Dorset is a lovely part of the world, I have spent a lot of time there.