Dallaglio: We've made Wycombe our home

11:42am Friday 2nd May 2008

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LAWRENCE Dallaglio could play his final competitive game at Adams Park this Sunday, but the living legend hopes Wasps will remain in Wycombe long after he has exited the stage.

Wasps host Guinness Premiership leaders Gloucester this weekend in their final scheduled home game of the season.

But if they win that and also beat Newcastle and Leeds on the road next week they would be hot favourites to nail down a top-two finish.

That would give Wasps fans one final opportunity to watch Dallaglio at Adams Park, in a one-off semi-final on May 18 with a place at Twickenham a fortnight later at stake.

Gloucester beat Wasps 18-17 back in January, but 12 wins out 13 at Adams Park is a formidable record for the men in black and gold and Dallaglio says their home form is indicative of the way they've settled in Wycombe.

He said: "Wycombe is a wonderful ground. The staff, the stewards, everyone is fantastic to us and I'd like to think we've brought something to the party as well.

"We've made Wycombe our home, we feel very comfortable there and our success on the pitch has reflected the fact that we enjoy playing there."

However, Sunday is also another occasion that shines on a light on the club's need to expand out of Adams Park.

Wasps have already had to move one game out of Wycombe to cope with demand this season, and although chief executive Tony Copsey will be glad that Sunday's match is another 10,000 sell-out, he will wonder at the revenue left outside the turnstiles.

This season Wasps are fourth in the Guinness Premiership attendance list with an aggregate 117,055 through the gates, but that figure is inflated by 39,400 at Twickenham for Wasps' home' game with Saracens in September.

In the last two seasons Wasps have been 11th and ninth out of the 12 Premiership clubs in terms of aggregate attendances, attracting 91,061 and 90,065 compared to the 196,194 and 199,034 that went to Welford Road in that time.

Dallaglio said: "We as a club know that if we're going to develop as a team and as brand then we need a bigger stadium.

"The right people are in the right places to do something about it and if that can be achieved in Wycombe then great, because that's what everyone wants.

"But if it can't be achieved in Wycombe then the harsh reality is that Wasps will have to look elsewhere, and will have to do so pretty quickly.

"Clubs are getting bigger and bigger and we don't want to be making up the numbers."

The capacity at Adams Park could be increased after a government inspector said it should be taken out of the green belt, but that would be a short-term solution and Dallaglio says Wasps need to think on a grander scale.

He said: "I'm sure people in Wycombe acknowledge the fact that they've got one of the very best clubs in Europe on their doorstep and we all need to make sure we keep them there.

"But I'd be lying if I said Adams Park didn't have its problems: one road in, one road out; reduced capacity, and we're always going to be asking whether we should be moving bigger games to other stadiums.

"I think the future of Wycombe FC and Wasps are very much dependent on what happens in the next year.

"Both clubs have big decisions to make."