365 Sporting Days

My Premiership Rugby weekend was polished off with a trip to Coventry, I stayed in an Airbnb just outside Gloucester after my trip to Kingsholm, which was all a bit odd really, very good value at £34 but strange to feel stuck in a bedroom.  Thank goodness I had my IPad and SkyGo to watch the Ryder Cup.

The drive from Gloucester to Coventry via Banbury was a delight, we really do live in a beautiful country and drives like that make me realise I should really do more than watch sport sometimes.

I’d made a schoolgirl error, well 2 actually in not booking parking as a starter then not checking the kick off time, my presumption that I’d be able to pay on the day may well have been true had I been able to find Old Coventrians Rugby Club, I followed my satnav and signs but no, no rugby club.  I parked in a side road thinking a walk would do me good, 2 miles walking where there was no path wasn’t a good plan.  Nor was trying to arrive before 3 for a 2:30 kick off.  I do hate to be late and missing even a moment of a game!  But, I arrived at my seat flustered, having missed a Wasps try at 2:45.  That’s 2 mistakes I won’t make again!

I’m going to confess to a soft spot for Wasps, they were the reason I started watching club rugby, the first time Danny Cirpiani was a Wasps man, it was good to see him back.  With Saracens losing to the visitors that day at the Ricoh Arena, Wasps were the only team unbeaten in the Premiership. Could a rejuvenated Harlequins stop the in their tracks?

The answer to that question is an emphatic NO! This Wasps team is going to be hard to beat this season.  Harlequins answered the first Wasps try with a 5 pointer of their own through Jamie Roberts, doing what he does best, he crashed through the Wasps defence to score.  The two remained locked on 5 apiece for the first 20 minutes. Tim Swiel added 2 penalties in that first half and James Chisholm a try duly converted to take Quins to 18 at Half time.

Wasps on the other hand had reached their bonus point try before half time, with touch downs from Guy Thompson, Sam Robson and Elliot Daly, Gopperth had failed to convert Ashley Johnson’s initial try but made no mistakes with the next 3, Wasps went in at half time with 26 points.

As a rugby league fan I always like to see ex 13 code men excelling, so was pleased to see Kyle Eastmond on the pitch, initially as a HIA replacement then in his own right, Christian Wade, a man with a very similar physique scored Wasps first try of the second half, Eastmond scored on the opposite wing 9 minutes later, both were converted and Wasps looked to be heading to 50 points.  Josh Bassett added their 7th try and the conversion took Wasps to 47 points.

The half wasn’t all one way, but Quins couldn’t breach the Wasps defence, the home team excelled in every department, playing entertaining rugby but also bedding down and defending when it was needed.  I imagine every team in both the Premiership and Europe will have their eyes on the team in Black and Gold.

I was lucky that another Saracens friend was at the game, so no long walk along verges to my car, the lovely Marie drove me back and another huge added bonus was a home cooked dinner on the way home, made by my Leicester Tigers/Rose Army friend Andrea.  My whole weekend was rugby focussed but also involved time with lovely friends made through this great game.