Worcester playing for pride as they look to stop rot

David Skippers
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With the thrilling news that the Premiership season has now resumed, we’ve gone through each of the teams looking to end the campaign on a high.

Six weeks later than intended, the 12 clubs in England’s top-flight will be delighted to finally get back onto the field, with fans equally excited.

There are nine league rounds left and two play-off weekends to follow as we take a look at each of the teams to remind you of their position.

Our final piece is Worcester Warriors.

How they left things

Lying 10th with a paltry return of 22 points from 13 games, Worcester are only out of immediate danger due to Saracens’ points deduction. It’s nine months since they won a Premiership game, although cruelly five of their recent losses was by fewer than a try score. Nevertheless, the home form that once was their redeeming feature has deserted them, Sixways becoming something less than an impregnable fortress, with three consecutive losses versus Bath, Northampton and Wasps.

Alan Solomons is a no-nonsense strategist, but mistakes have hampered Worcester on the pitch and their turnover of ball in hand is amongst the worst in the Premiership. Solomons’ workload is significantly increased by the departure of the outstanding technical coach Rory Duncan, who leaves the Warriors for Japan.

The only bright light in the Midlands club is the continued success of their academy and the A League Worcester Cavaliers, who top the Southern Group in the reserve table, but the retention of the players they produce and the conversion of promise into points remains a challenge for the Sixways outfit.

Signings

Billy Searle (Wasps), Matt Kvesic (Exeter Chiefs), Joe Batley (Bristol Bears)

The big news is the return of England discard Matt Kvesic, who comes back to the club of his youth. His growth whilst at Exeter has been exceptional, transforming himself from a solid openside to a complete back-row forward, with exceptionally rounded skills when playing at eight. His tight work has become a feature of his play, characterised by his Neil Back-like ability to control rolling mauls and sneak over the whitewash.

Billy Searle moves eastwards across the Midlands to seek more first-team rugby and his poise and vision in the fly-half berth might just offer Worcester the control and attacking options that have been missing from their play this season.

Joe Batley, a regular performer for the England U20s, joins from Bristol to add versatility to Worcester’s back five, able to play lock or back-row with equal facility, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Bristolian goes now he has more first-team rugby opportunities.

Departures

Luke Scully (Cardiff Blues), Joe Taufete’e (Lyon), Ryan Mills (Wasps), Dean Hammond (Ealing Trailfinders), Jono Lance (Western Force), Luke Baldwin (Dragons on season-long loan), Ryan Bower (Leicester Tigers), Callum Morris (Stourbridge)

The biggest loss to the Warriors is the departure of the exceptionally talented centre, Ryan Mills. Mills has often been mentioned in England dispatches but injuries hampered his claims. When fit, however, few offer the completeness of the 16-time capped England U20 back, fusing powerful defence with razor sharp running lines. He’ll be greatly missed at Sixways.

Big American hooker Joe Taufete’e also leaves Worcester to take up an offer at Lyon. His try-scoring threat will be missed.

Hopes for the run-in

Survival and improvement are key for Worcester’s positioning and pride. There’s no doubt they have a competitive forward pack, and in Nick Schonart they have one of the most destructive scrummaging tightheads in the game, but too often they’ve lacked the self-belief to close out the close games.

Francois Hougaard’s pragmatism at scrum-half will be now be augmented by Billy Searle’s pace and ambition at 10, and between them, they’ll want to catalyse the potential Worcester have in their back division.

Four games at home needs a minimum of two wins, starting immediately with the visit of Gloucester today. They have some daunting away trips including Sale, Bath and Exeter and home points are absolutely essential if they’re to avoid another underperforming season.

Players to watch

There is absolutely no doubt that Ted Hill is one of the hottest properties in English rugby right now. The bespectacled and mild-mannered Hill resembles Clark Kent off the pitch but becomes Superman on it, fusing some of the biggest hits around with supremely powerful, quick and direct carrying. His speed to recycle himself in defence is quite exceptional, and at 6’5” is a primary lineout option, something that won’t go unnoticed by Eddie Jones.

His appointment as captain says a lot about his reputation at Sixways. Don’t be surprised if he dons a Lions shirt in South Africa; this lad has the ability to become as good a player as the other rather more illustrious Hill that once wore the England six shirt with such success, and, if fitness is his friend, Big Ted could be an England fixture for the next 10 years.

Whilst Mills departs, home grown centre Ollie Lawrence is another that’s getting the typewriters of the press box chattering away. A powerful 100kg direct runner, Lawrence represented England U20s aged just 18 and played one game in the Six Nations in 2018, before a call-up to train with Jones’ senior England squad in the summer that year. His progress is impressive and he may yet rejoin the EPS this season.

Bottom line

Worcester are a modest club that seem to bumble along at the highest level, yet continue to impress in producing quality players from their academy and local area. They need to make a quantum change in their culture and performances and imbue some self-belief into their game. Often, their humility is almost holding them back, late to the professional era and perhaps not possessing the heritage of other clubs in the Premiership.

Their results allude to a lack of knowing how to close out tight games and perhaps they need a little more self-belief and a tad more arrogance about their play to beat the best. The next few weeks will be crucial for them but, if they can protect their results at home and steal a win or two on the road, their confidence and fortunes will be all the better for that.

by James While

 

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