The former Grainville student became just the second Jerseyman to appear in the top-flight showpiece on Saturday night, following Matt Banahan’s involvement in the 2015 final for Bath, and he has urged the Island’s next generation to continue pushing for a similar status.
However, like his former Jersey RFC colleague five years ago, the Wasps centre was also on the wrong end of defeat, as Exeter Chiefs – a Championship club in 2010 – secured a league and European Cup double.
Wasps had 11 players ruled out due to Covid-19 quarantine protocols but still had a late chance to overturn their 19-13 deficit.
‘It was a tough week,’ said Le Bourgeois, who was a 74th-minute replacement in appalling conditions at Twickenham.
‘The weather wasn’t great and I think it suited them more, but we had our chances to win and we didn’t execute at the level we’re used to.
‘We were in a good head space going into it but they played the conditions better than us and came up trumps.’
Discussing his brief stint on field as Wasps chased a late winner, and the influence both he and Banahan are having on Jersey’s up-and-coming talent, Le Bourgeois said: ‘Bearing the conditions in mind it wasn’t really a game where you could open up, so I was just happy to go and be involved.
‘It was pretty weird without a packed stadium – that would have been nice for such a big game – but the boys are used to it now. It has become part of the game.
‘I used to hang about with Matt and when he left for London Irish it made people like me believe that we could do it.
‘I’ve done it now and hopefully the boys in the academy and the younger generation will carry on chasing what they want to do and enjoy it.’
He added: ‘We’ve got two weeks off now, so I’m going to relax, put my feet up and enjoy some time off. Then we’re back in for testing and Covid protocols and we’re pretty much straight into game week one.’
Unlike the Championship, which is yet to have its 2020/21 fixtures confirmed, the Premiership is set for a quick turnaround before a restart on Friday 20 November.
