Wasps name where they want to play if and when they return
Wasps CEO Stephen Vaughan has named the venue he wants the club to play at if and when they return to playing. The Gallagher Premiership club ceased trading on Monday and was put into administration, a decision that resulted in 167 people being made redundant - including Vaughan.
The former London club have played their home matches in Coventry since December 2014 but their fall into administration means they are no longer landlords of the Coventry Building Society Arena, the stadium that was previously known as the Ricoh Arena for the majority of their time in the city.
Wasps’ demise on Monday was greeted popularly by fans of Coventry City FC, who have had their issues with the rugby club being landlords at a stadium that was initially built to house the city’s football club in 2005.
However, despite that angst and question marks over what will happen to the Arena in the coming days as that part of the operation didn’t fall into administration, the preference of Vaughan would be for Wasps to play again at the CBS regardless of what level of rugby they are allowed to participate at.
Automatic relegation from the Premiership is usually the penalty for top-flight clubs that go into administration, meaning that Wasps would restart in the 2023/24 Championship if they are taken over and look to play again.
“We would all absolutely want to stay in Coventry,” said Wasps chief Vaughan in a local area BBC CWR radio interview. “Coventry, the people, I know you get the naysayers which we will always have but all the authorities, we have got a wonderful training facility in Henley-in-Arden, absolutely, our first choice would be Coventry and the West Midlands, without a shadow of a doubt.
“The venue is amazing. The staff in the venue haven’t been put into administration, it is a very profitable organisation in a fantastic part of the world and we hoped to host many other events there and Coventry City etc for a long time.
“But as far it goes for Wasps, all rugby clubs make a loss and without that benefactor the debt pile, we have been in dialogue with PRL and the RFU with regards to relegation. They have been very good, very honest with us. They understand the situation and the difficulty the RFU faces is the precedent it may set with other clubs but yes we are in dialogue to see what we can possibly do.
“Of course, we have gone into administration but that doesn’t mean we are still not having conversations with people and we will still do that. We probably understand that we have to come back in the Championship next year but there are a lot of players in there that would love to stick with Wasps whether it is in the Championship or the Premiership.
“This club has been going for over 155 years. If it means six months elsewhere to bring it back with really good solid honest ownership, a great leadership team and the core group that is in there now then I think we would take that.”
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It certainly needs to be cherished. Despite Nick (and you) highlighting their usefulness for teams like Australia (and obviously those in France they find form with) I (mention it general in those articles) say that I fear the game is just not setup in Aus and NZ to appreciate nor maximise their strengths. The French game should continue to be the destination of the biggest and most gifted athletes but it might improve elsewhere too.
I just have an idea it needs a whole team focus to make work. I also have an idea what the opposite applies with players in general. I feel like French backs and halves can be very small and quick, were as here everyone is made to fit in a model physique. Louis was some 10 and 20 kg smaller that his opposition and we just do not have that time of player in our game anymore. I'm dying out for a fast wing to appear on the All Blacks radar.
But I, and my thoughts on body size in particular, could be part of the same indoctrination that goes on with player physiques by the establishment in my parts (country).
Go to commentsHis best years were 2018 and he wasn't good enough to win the World Cup in 2023! (Although he was voted as the best player in the world in 2023)
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