“We will never let women’s rugby at Wasps die” – Wasps celebrate in the face of uncertain future

Rather than go out kicking and screaming, raging against the dying of the Allianz Premier 15’s light, there was acceptance, even joy, at Twyford Avenue as Wasps’ time in the topflight of women’s rugby came to an end on Saturday after 38 years.

Following a season in which it at times looked like they would not be able to play to conclusion and 18 defeats from 18 matches, you could have been forgiven for expecting a funeral procession-like atmosphere as the London club took on Bristol Bears. Following restructuring by the RFU, Wasps will no longer be a member of the Prem 15’s from next season. A campaign marred by financial uncertainty has meant there are currently no plans for the team to continue in a professional capacity at all.

A spirited 41-22 defeat in a game that saw them lead at the interval and ultimately pick up a bonus point courtesy of a Makeda Lewis try in the last play was worth being proud of in the context of the season they have had, but a day filled with both happiness and nostalgia was the result of something much deeper.

“It’s been a weird day,” explained interim head coach Ollie Bishop after the rugby had finished and the celebration of four decades worth of memories was only just getting started. “Everyone who turned up today was excited about the game, I think it made us enjoy it – one last run out. It’s always hard not to be happy when you’ve got some of your best mates here.”

Bishop has been involved in the coaching set up at Wasps for a decade, and stepped up to lead the team when head coach LJ Lewis went on maternity leave earlier this year. Whilst he was unable to oversee a win during this tumultuous season in which most weeks it has been a struggle to even name a full complement of players on the bench, there has still been plenty to take away from it.

“If you’re winning there never seems to be any problems,” he continued, “but when you start losing and things start to get tough, when you go into administration and shit hits the fan, that’s when you find out a bit about people. In the past year I’ve learnt more than in any other. When things are tough you understand how you are as a person and what your core values are. I think for the staff and the players, we’ve all found that out.”

Several of Wasps’ more high-profile players made the decision to leave the club as the financial situation worsened due to a loss of funding brought about by the Wasps men’s side going into administration. Enough money was pulled together to ensure this campaign could be seen out, but many members of the backroom team were no longer able to be kept on in full-time roles and playing squads have been made up of untested youth team players.

“I’m relieved we made it to the end of the season,” Wasps’ captain Liz Crake admitted. “I’m happy that we’re here and now we can just relax and enjoy it. There’s no analysis [now], no one to tell you ‘What the hell did you do that for?’. It was just ‘let’s all have a crack’, play with a smile. I think the girls really did that.”

Whilst the record books will show another defeat in a torrid season for a club that won three league titles in a row in the early 2000’s and is regarded as a pioneer for women’s rugby in England, it is the finer details that made this sunny afternoon in Acton unforgettable.

The current team were given a guard of honour by a host of former players as they took to the field in jerseys emblazoned with their names on the back for the first and, in all probability, last time. Five members of the Bristol team who had previously turned out for Wasps wore one yellow and black sock – a noticeable and touching nod to the impact the club has had on their own careers.

“There’s so much history here and so many faces that you recognise or that you’ve heard of,” said Crake after an on-pitch huddle involving current and former players. “It’s always been a big family and there’s always been so much support. We raised so much more money than we expected through the crowdfunding and that was because of all these people that the club means so much to.”

Since the RFU made the decision to not offer Wasps a place in next season’s league, players have been encouraged to explore opportunities to continue their careers elsewhere. “[Leaving] crossed my mind,” admits Crake, who ultimately decided the promise of regular playing time and the honour of captaining the team provided more than adequate reason to stay. “There was so much uncertainty. For some players it was their livelihood, so they had to leave because they were no longer getting paid.”

Crake is moving on to Ealing Trailfinders next season along with Bishop as both look to continue their careers in the Prem 15’s, but Sue Martineau, a club legend who played a fundamental role in the formation of Wasps Women in 1985, summed up why they will always remain a part of the club no matter where they go.

“You saw the support today, that’s joyous,” she said with a smile that offered an insight into years of happy memories associated with the club. “That’s what sport is all about; being a community, being a family, looking after one another. We’re devastated about what has happened to the women and we’re devastated about what has happened to the men. People don’t realise that it is livelihoods that have been torn apart; hopes and dreams.”

Martineau regaled tales of battles with stuffy committee members to ensure she and her team-mates had adequate kit to wear and pitches to play on in the 1980’s, and how the women’s team used to have to work in the kitchen at men’s games to be able to play themselves on a Sunday. She even recalled how she led Wasps to cup glory in the first-ever game of women’s rugby at Twickenham in 1988 with a broken arm. But there was no sense that the struggle she endured in establishing the club had been undermined by the events of the past few months.

“Wasps will come back in some form. This community will never go away. We started as amateurs and that’s why I think we will be okay. I’m confident that there will always be a women’s side down here and if not we will be getting on our kit and playing. We will never let women’s rugby at Wasps die.”