THE SUN GOES DOWN ON WASPS IN EUROPE


Down and Out in BOPB
By Little Stinger
January 27 2005

For the first time in three years Wasps participation in European competitions ended in January. However this did not stop the Wasps supporters who went to Biarritz from going out with a bang; some starting a lot earlier than others. Names have been changed to protect the guilty (most of the time).

Landing in Pau on a sunny afternoon with the snow capped Pyrenees as a back drop relieved the few tensions that may have existed in the travelling DW party. Those that left the house with out their luggage and the party who attempted a mass export of scissors in their hand luggage could now relax on the coach journey across south west France and enjoy the view.

 

The Tulip hotel bar was raided by a thirsty bunch after check in, and immediately closed stating that they were far too busy; and it was not seen open again all weekend! Thankfully there were many other bars available, all willing to charge at least EUR 6 a pint.

 

A short walk to the coast ensued (we guessed we were not that far away when a bare footed surfer jogged past us in his wet suit) and the first beers of the day sampled together with Pizza. A few of the players together with some of the DW’s that had arrived the previous day were around so we exchanged news before heading for a walk along the Atlantic coastline.  The surfers were out in force (should these people not be working for a living?) as we ambled along the beach, eventually bumping into Barney who had been delayed in Paris by fog. The first of many handovers of match and dinner tickets ensued, with explicit instructions written on Skippy’s envelope:- Meal ticket (only one meal) Match ticket (remember not to eat!).

 

The sun went down and a further bar discovered, this one belonging to Pascal Ondarts, an international prop whose hands were the size of small mountains. As we need a few extra players for the Fat Bloke sevens in the summer his services were secured with a DW pin (and a beret later on) so if you see the man in the centre of this picture, run the other way.

 

If you are around Skippy (or Sleepy Pete) for any length of time you know that intervals between food stops are never far apart. So we had lunch!

 

Also can you tell the Spanish border is not very far away?

 

A quick drop off at the hotel and we start to wander up to the ground. At a crossroads only about 100 yards from the hotel we were checking our bearings when a BO supporter in his car pointed us in the right direction. Acknowledging his kindness with a thumbs up he then pointed to the inside of his car – so we had a free lift to the ground!

 

To go through this group Wasps had to play the perfect game – and once more this season this was beyond the team’s ability.

 

So we lost.

 

However the night was young and the BO supporters had arranged a joint dinner in a marquee adjacent to the ground. Time enough to meet up with the Waspies that had flown out that day and then four hundred of us sit down for dinner (Leicester managed 57). The Tsunami collection raised nearly EUR 1700 before the starter – and between courses thereafter we had the BO brass band and choir to keep us entertained. Do I dare mention the massed ranks of Waspies singing the Marseillaise (amongst other things) and the conga line that kept losing its direction. A wonderful atmosphere between the two lots of fans has done much to raise the entente cordial.

 

Sunday morning was bright and sunny, though a little cooler. Four of us decided to head to Bayonne in a cab. The driver proudly announced himself as a Bayonne fan, showing us his neck scarf and season ticket. The local rivalry is as intense as any thing Rangers / Celtic can offer. As we drove past the Biarritz ground he pronounced that we were passing the local cemetery; and ten minutes later the Bayonne ground was a temple!

 

Bayonne itself is a very pretty market town complete with cathedral. As we wandered around it was exceptionally quiet, though many of the locals were at church. However the proliferation of bars and cafes would indicate that it gets very busy in the summer.

 

We did manage to find a guy selling fresh oysters on a street corner, so Sleepy Pete bags a freebee and the rest of us get invited to taste. As we all enjoyed them (and they were very good) Sleepy got to try an oyster the size of Pascal Ondart’s fist.

 

A little further down the same road was a patisserie. Sleepy decided he needed a closer look not realising that there was a window between him and the display cabinet. However the purchase of chocolate, cakes and jam placated the lady behind the counter the only damage this time was to the window.

 

As this writer was under the weather (and the Stinger family at home were similarly suffering apparently, though I could not phone home to discover this ;-) ) I had a light lunch whilst the others tucked into a Spanish Tapas and more oysters.

 

Back to Biarritz to catch up with the games on television. I now realised as to why the pavements had been tested on Friday as I tripped up on a traffic bollard sticking out of the road – no damage though!

 

The walk along the seafront took some four hours, though a refuelling stop kept us up to date as to what was going on.

 

As we watched the sun disappear for the last time in Biarritz we reflected on what could have been, however the purchase of chocolates and a monster paella later in the evening brightened the mood.  

 

Meanwhile for the rest of this season

 

ALLEZ B.O.