Joe Simpson has urged his teammates not to get caught up in the emotion of the game as Wasps say goodbye to Adams Park on Sunday afternoon.
A win against Castres Olympique last weekend breathed life into a faltering European Champions Cup campaign, and another win against the French side on Sunday will put them back in contention to qualify from Pool Two.
Defeats in their opening two matches of the competition, to Leinster and Harlequins, left Wasps desperate for two wins against Castres, and scrum-half Simpson says the focus has to be on gaining maximum points rather than the occasion itself.
He said: “I guess it won’t sink in until afterwards. Emotion can be used in positive ways in rugby, but I just want to concentrate on my game, the match and getting Wasps the win.
“After that then you’ll be able to reflect and dwell on the fact that it will be the last game played there. I don’t want to get caught up in the emotion of it beforehand.
“The fans will be able to appreciate it and the non-playing members of the staff will be able to appreciate it that bit more. For me, and for the squad, we just have to treat it as another match which is a must-win for us to give us half a sniff of progressing in the European Cup.”
The final whistle on Sunday will mark the end of Wasps 12-year stay in High Wycombe and signal the beginning of the club’s stay at Coventry’s Ricoh Arena.
Bucks based Wasps fans face a 160-mile round trip to keep supporting the club at their new home, but despite this Simpson is hopeful they will see the bigger picture.
“It will be tough for them, the diehard fans. We’ve got some terrific fans in High Wycombe who come week in week out, and it’s tough for them to trek all the way up to Coventry to support the team they love.
“Before the announcement you saw quite a few negative comments on the blogs and on the fan pages and rightly so, but as soon as they were given the full details by Derek and by Dai explaining the move and how that will benefit the club, it’s a no brainer really.”
Wasps secured a bonus point to cap a fine win at the Stade Pierre Antoine Stadium last Sunday and Simpson is hoping for a repeat performance for the final farewell at Adams Park.
“We have to concentrate on what we did well on the weekend and try to improve on the areas that we were slightly flat in. Our ultimate aim has to be that five point bonus win, that will be in the back of our minds but we need to get the win first.”
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