Alex King previews the Powergen Cup final

The King
By Barney Burnham
April 8 2006

Sunday's Twickenham clash with Llanelli Scarlets, in the Powergen Cup Final, will be Wasps' ninth major final since the game went professional. The first resulted in a heavy loss against a Michael Lynagh inspired Saracens side - but, since then, it's been success all the way.

One man who's featured in all those games - more often than not, with Man of the Match performances, is Alex King. A broken thumb has kept him out of action for two months,and a successful comeback in last week's A game has earned him a place on the bench. Barney Burnham has been talking to the Wasps talisman.

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BB: You’ve played in the last seven winning finals. This Sunday, you’re only on the bench, after being out with a broken thumb for a couple of months. You must have mixed feelings - happy to be back, but disappointed not to be starting.

AK: The main thing is that it’s nice to be fit again and ready for the business end of the season, when we have the chance to win some more silverware. Yes, I’m on the bench, but I’m just glad to be part of the squad and really excited about what could happen on Sunday.

BB: It’s one-all so far this season, between Wasps and Llanelli Scarlets. An eight-point win for them at Stradey, and a very big win for Wasps a week later, at Wycombe. Which of those two games have you been analysing more closely?

AK: The one down at Stradey. We know what to expect on Sunday. They’re a really physical team, who compete heavily at the breakdown. They like to play with pace and have some really dangerous runners. Mike Hercus is a threat at 10 and they’ll be looking to put some pressure on us at the breakdown., to try and slow our ball down. We know what to expect and we’ve been training really hard this week. Sunday is when we have to get it right.

BB: How important do you think the Twickenham factor could be? Many Wasps fans now regard Twickenham as their second home.

AK: We’ve had a good record there over the last few years, but you can’t take anything for granted. It’s a neutral venue for both teams. It does happen to be in London, which is where we’re from, but I’m sure it’ll inspire the Llanelli guys to perform well. It’s great that there’s going to be a big crowd there, and hopefully we can register another victory for the club.

BB: A couple of big-name departures have been announced in the past week or so. Matt Dawson’s retiring and Stuart Abbott is off to pastures new. Has that had any disruptive effect, or has it brought the squad even closer together?

AK: Initially, it was a bit of a shock. You never want the team to break up, but they’ve both been great servants of the club. Stuart’s been here for five years and helped us win numerous trophies. Daws came last year, after Rob retired, and did a lot to help us win the Premiership, so they’ve both contributed massively to the Wasps history and what Wasps is all about. Of course it’s sad to see them moving on, but that’s part and parcel of professional rugby. You lose a couple of guys, but they’ll be there to the end of the season - hopefully, to win a couple more trophies, if things go according to plan - and next season we’ll start afresh with some new guys. That’s what it’s all about. The culture stays the same, the ethos stays the same, but one or two faces come and go.

BB: I suppose it’s an old cliché, but noone’s irreplaceable.

AK: No, but when you lose quality players, it’s sometimes very difficult. That’s the challenge for the club - to make sure that we recruit the right players, players that fit into the Wasps mould.