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I do not expect them to do the same at Twickenham

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I do not expect them to do the same at Twickenham.I have spent many more happy hours in Toulouse than I ever have in Sudbury, Loftus Road or their new ground in High Wycombe So on 23 May my sympathies will once again be divided.. This team reached the Pilkington cup final twice in the mid-1980s but lost on both occasions to Bath. Nowhere was this local indifference more marked than in Sudbury, Middlesex.Those were the days when Wasps had the two regular England props, Jeff Probyn and Paul Rendall, and back-row forwards such as David Pegler, Mark Rigby and Buster White who were fated to have the word "underestimated'' unfailingly placed before their names. When a Wasps player - Simon Smith, say, or Rob Andrew, or Huw Davies - scored for England, dear Bill McLaren would say: "They'll be rejoicing in Sudbury tonight, I can tell you.''I would reply to the television set: "Oh no they won't, you silly old thing.''Many London rugby clubs, such as the now defunct Richmond, used to complain about the lack of support in the districts where their grounds were situated. They would grumble not only about the sparseness of paying customers but about a lack of practical, often financial backing from the local authority. In those days a visit to Sudbury entailed, for me, a character-forming journey from Euston to Wembley North station, followed by a bracing walk past the semis and the rose-bushes to the ground.

The ball manifestly went forward in the tackle seconds before he crossed the line. The proper outcome would have been a scrum just outside the Wasps' line, with Wasps putting in.On this occasion, my sympathies were divided. With Christian Cullen from New Zealand, Jim Williams from Australia, Shaun Payne from South Africa via Swansea and Rob Henderson (himself an old Wasp) from Northern Surrey, Munster can hardly be regarded solely as a collection of brave boys from the West Coast of Ireland.However, the phrase "mighty Wasps'', much in use over the weekend, fits ill with the club I used to know in the 1980s. In these circumstances the referee's duty is not to award the try.There was, however, a balancing factor There usually is.

Anthony Foley's previous try for Munster was not a try either. But it was, I think, impossible to tell whether he had grounded the ball or not, even with the benefit of the most advanced electronic aids Perhaps he did: but it was impossible to tell for certain. But you cannot really argue with a try-count of five to two in Wasps' favour.Having said this, I would go on to add that Trevor Leota's final, heroic try should not have been awarded Clearly, he was not in touch. I know that there is no necessary correlation between merit and the number of tries scored. And it is a great luxury to be able to restart the game by heeling the ball backwards.Certainly everyone is expected to tackle. But then, everyone is now expected to tackle in rugby union as well.

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