BB: First things first, Alex. How are you settling in to the lifestyle, and how’s your French coming along?

AK: The French is improving - probably not at the rate I wanted it to, but it’s definitely improving. All meetings and things are done in French, so it’s up to the English-speaking guys to get up to speed - probably the best way to learn, really.

I have two or three lessons a week, so I’m hoping, by the end of the season, I’ll be a lot better than I am now. I’m starting to speak it with more confidence - usually after a couple of glasses of good  red wine!

BB: So, if you confront Raph Ibanez, in a few weeks’ time, you’ll be able to give him what for in his mother tongue?

AK: I think I’ll be able to abuse him in two languages, when it comes to the 8th of December!

BB: And what about adapting to the French lifestyle? A bit different from south London, I imagine.

AK: Yes, very different. We’ve got a little house out in the country, so we’re surrounded by fields and cows and geese, and things like that. It’s just great to have such a contrast between living in Wandsworth, with the noise, the planes and police sirens, trains two seconds away, and being in the middle of nowhere, really. We’ve got a car and training is only about 15, 20 minutes away. Traffic’s never a problem, so getting in and out of town is easy. We go to the local baker every day, to get our bread. It’s just the perfect experience you’d want in France, really.

Alex King and BB clinch the HCup

BB: It sounds like you’re very content. I know you enjoy doing things in the kitchen. Have you picked up any expert French cooking tips!

AK: We eat at some quite nice restaurants, so I’ve left the cooking to Lizzi, actually. She’s improved vastly, in the two months that we’ve been here.

BB: Last time I saw her, I mentioned the subject of cooking, and she said very adamantly: "I do not cook!"

AK: Well, she’s changed her tune a little bit, and she’s definitely improving - bit like my French, really!  Every day’s a little bit better.

BB: How about the rugby? I know you’ve missed the first two games of the season, with a minor injury. Is the system and set-up there very different from what you were used to for so long?

AK: It’s not that different. The two coaches are really good guys from New Zealand - Vern Cotter and Joe Schmidt, so they’re not different we were used to at Wasps. One or two things are obviously a little bit different, but overall I’m really happy with the way that it’s a really professional outfit. They have fantastic facilities. I couldn’t have wished better than to come to a club that’s so ambitious to win this championship. They’ve gone through a lot of heartache over the years. I think they’ve been to eight finals, and never won the thing. Hopefully, I can contribute to them finally winning the French championship this year.

BB: I watched Saturday’s game against Montpellier - fantastic that we can see the French championship on British Eurosport every week! Looking at the ground really made me look forward to our visit in  December.

AK: That was the first match day experience I’d had. I was doing my corporate bit in the boxes, but you got a real feel of the atmosphere. I think there were around 15 or 16 thousand there.  They have a very complicated song - a bit like the Allez, Wasps - 'Allez les jeunes et bleux'.

BB: Les jeunes? What are you doing there?

AK: I mean jaunes - yellow! Sorry, my accent’s probably not great. Jaunes et bleux - yellow and blue. In a couple of weeks, I think I might have picked up the words to that one!

BB: Watching Clermont, I felt that they play more like a traditional French team than some of the sides we’ve seen in recent years - including making some fairly wacky decisions at times.

AK: There’s definitely ambition to play. That’s the way they’ve been brought up, and it’s the way that they want to play their rugby. They certainly like to entertain the supporters, who’ve been used to that for the last few seasons. It’s a good style of rugby to play, and I’m looking forward to getting some match time in the big games.

BB: Talking of big games, the Heineken Cup starts this weekend,  and you’re at home to Llanelli, who looked pretty impressive against Leeds last Friday.

AK: We’re under no illusions, and I’ve given my feedback on all the sides in the group. It’s without doubt the hardest group in the tournament. Whoever qualifies will be pretty battle-hardened getting into the quarterfinals. I do think that, unfortunately, whoever does qualify will probably be seeded around 5th or 6th, because of the difficulty of picking up bonus points.

BB: I could see the winner of this pool going through with only four wins. Anyone winning an away game will be doing really well.

AK: Yes, probably 16 or 17 points could win it, but we know what we have to do. Llanelli come here, then we go to Munster. And then, a few weeks down the line, the game I’m really looking forward to, with the black and yellow Waspies coming down to Clermont! I think whatever happens, I’ll be laying on a great night for all the boys and supporters on the Saturday.

BB: I’ll hold you to that. I now have it on record!

AK: I’ve told all the bars and restaurants to bring in copious amounts of beer and red wine, ready for the invasion!

BB: How much are they looking forward to that game? It would obviously be a great feather in the cap, if they could see off the reigning champions. Is your brain already being picked?

AK: Not yet. Because of the intensity of the French championship, and then the first two Heineken Cup games, it really is the old cliché of just taking one week at a time, and not looking too far ahead. But personally, it’s definitely on the horizon for me. I’ve had a bit of banter with the boys, and I’m really looking forward to: a) the game in Clermont, and b) returning to Adams Park, which would be a very special day for me, if selected., and playing. But we’ve got four massive games before then - Llanelli, Munster, then Bourgoin and either Albi or Auch - I can’t remember which. So there’s a lot of work to be done before we can start thinking about the Wasps games.

BB: How are they going to fit all the games in? They started late, because of the World Cup  - pity we couldn’t do the same! - but they now have  to squeeze in the Heineken Cup and the normal championship. Will there be a lot midweek games?

AK: They’re playing throughout the 6 Nations. I think the only complication with the Heineken Cup is if French teams reach the semifinals. There are championship games scheduled on the semifinal weekend. I’m not quite sure how that one would work. But I think it made sense to start the competition after the World Cup.

If you look at where Wasps are now, after losing nine or ten players, it’s hard to budget a squad, when you have a small squad anyway. It’s a shame that  Wasps have gone from being European champions to being near the bottom of the Premiership.

It puts a lot of pressure on the guys coming back. They might not be ready to play, mentally and physically., so it makes life very difficult for all the coaches. Whereas, in France, we all started  with pretty much our full complement of players at the start of the competition, so the winners really are bona fide champions at the end of it.

BB: You have a pretty big squad, don’t you? I was looking at the Clermont website, and reading through all the big name. I thought "Blimey, do we have to play all that lot?"

AK: Yes, we do have some incredible talent. I met John Smit on Saturday, before the game. He seems like a really good guy, and he’s really excited to get going. The ambition of the club and the passion of the supporters rubs off on you, and there’s a real collective spirit for all the players. No matter where you’ve come from, when you’re at ASM, you’re at ASM, and the international career is put on hold a little bit.

As well as John, we also have Mario Ledesma, who was obviously another big star at the World Cup. He’s a top man. It’s brilliant - we have two Argentinians, two Georgians, who are real characters. I’m learning a bit of Georgian - it’s probably better than my French, actually!

BB: Anything Georgian involves drinking massive amounts, doesn’t it?

AK: I haven’t been out for a drink with them, yet, but I’m looking forward to that opportunity. We have three Fijians, who are all great characters.  Delasau, who was a superstar in the World Cup,  really has some incredible skills in training, and I’m really looking forward to playing some rugby with him. Then a really good mix of Canadians, South Africans, Australians, Kiwis, myself and then about 75% French. So it’s a really good cultural mix of people, and hopefully I can make a lot of good friends for the future, so I can have holidays all over the world!

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