IT was one of the epic European Cup finals. Wasps, the leading club in England in the early part of the 2000s despite lacking the resources of many of their rivals, faced the French aristocrats Toulouse at Twickenham in 2004.
They were captained by Lawrence Dallaglio and their coaches included Warren Gatland and Shaun Edwards, who were later to team up with Wales. The score was 20-20 with a few minutes to go when the Wales and Lions scrumhalf Rob Howley returned a 22 drop-out with a grubber kick along the left-hand touchline.
Toulouse’s full-back Clement Poitrenaud tried to usher the ball over the goal-line to touch it down, but by the time he was ready to do so, Howley had stolen up on him and claimed the try that won the cup.
A new weekly BT series, marking the 25th Premiership campaign, is recalling landmarks for the 13 clubs involved, one at a time.
“It was an epic final,” said Dallaglio. “We were chasing shadows for most of it yet we outscored them by three tries to one. Toulouse were the galacticos and I dread to think what their wage bill was: far more than our £3 million for sure.
“Toulouse had amazing players but, as only the French can, tended to pick them out of position. We had come from ten points down in the semi-final at Munster in Dublin to win in the last-minute and we knew that anything was possible.”
Dallaglio spent his senior career at Wasps, turning up the chance to earn more money elsewhere.
“It is a special club with a history different to most others,” he said. “It is not a place or a city. You cannot go around Wasps nor do you go and see it.
“It has always been about the people. I first walked through the door in 1990 and I could not believe they were top of the table. I had come from a school that had 28 pitches and Wasps had two, one of which was not fit for purpose. It was more like a working man’s club, but it was a humble place.
“I found it extraordinary that people would travel for hours to train at a ground that was in the middle of a north London housing estate. It is amazing to look back on the last 30 years and reflect on the incredible people who have been involved in the club and the influence they have had on the game.
“We were nomadic then and 85p out of every £1 spent by supporters went to our landlords. We were losing £3m a year despite winning trophies left, right and centre but the move to Coventry means the club can have a sustainable business model and, when it starts making money, challenge at the very top again.”
BT Sport has launched Rugby Stories, a new documentary series around the thirteen clubs in the 2021/22 Gallagher Premiership. The second episode, featuring the story of Leicester, airs on Friday March 11 at 10pm on BT Sport 1.
For more information visit bt.com/sport
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