Lemi: Why I joined Wasps (From Bucks Free Press)

Lemi: Why I joined Wasps

4:50pm Wednesday 26th August 2009 in Sport By Alan Feldberg

DAVID Lemi was a wanted man during the summer.

When Bristol were relegated at the end of last season the flush clubs in Europe came calling waving handfuls of cash.

But the Samoan star turned his back on them – it was life balance rather than bank balance that swayed him.

He said: “It was quite a difficult decision for myself and my wife-to-be. We had our second baby while we were making this decision and I had a chat with her and also my son about what was best for us.

“We didn’t make the decision about money. We made the decision to go to the club where we thought we would be happy, like we had done with Bristol.

“With a new baby we thought it would be hard for us to go overseas. We wanted to stay in the UK and at Wasps it’s like a big family.

“They helped with my wife and children as well so that was also a main reason to come here.”

Don’t be fooled into thinking he lacks ambition though. As much as a settled family life, the challenge of making his mark at one of Europe’s most successful clubs and improving under the likes of Tony Hanks and Shaun Edwards was a huge draw.

He said: “Wasps is a big club and I’ve been lucky enough to get the chance to work with some of the best coaches and best players in the world here.

“It’s different to Bristol, a different culture, and I know there is going to be competition for places.

“But this is a challenge I want. If there is no challenge you can’t produce your best every week. I know there is no way you can perform at 70 per cent. You have to be at 100 per cent every single game here.

“The club has some very good England wingers but I look forward to competing with them. It will be good for me.”

Lemi is slightly behind his team-mates having just returned from Samoa where he spent the summer playing for his local team – “I’m not a big star back home”– but he arrives in Wycombe after averaging a try every two games at struggling Bristol.

He said: “There is a lot of talking around, but this game of rugby is not a one-man game. It’s a 15-man game. The only reason I scored tries at Bristol is because all the team were giving good performances. For me as the winger I just finished it.”