Reformed sinners Warriors scent revenge against Saints

Mar 6 2009 by Brian Dick, Birmingham Post

Worcester are tomorrow presented with the chance to put their season right against opponents who made it go wrong in the first place.

To say Mike Ruddock’s second campaign has been one of anti-climax is to only scratch the surface of the frustrations felt by everyone associated with the Sixways outfit.

Warriors started their most recent assault on the Premiership as some commentators’ dark horses for a Heineken Cup place. Instead the only utensil with which they have been associated latterly is the league’s wooden spoon.

For some it all started resembling the shape of Three Pears on opening day when they visited Northampton’s Franklin’s Gardens and were both out-fought and out-thought by a team fresh from 12 months in the wilderness.

On the face of it 21-13 doesn’t sound too heavy a beating but their complete failure to register a presence at the breakdown and in the set-piece was a hint of troubles to come.

But after several months of lurching from one defeat to another and between bouts of injuries director of rugby Ruddock detects signs that things are finally going his team’s way.

Last Saturday’s victory over London Wasps was their first in the Premiership for three months, many of those players are now returning to fitness and crucially the bounce of the ball seems to have decided to favour his team.

Which brings us to Saints and their visit to Sixways this weekend. Another win would be Worcester’s fourth of the season and represent a green shoot of recovery.

For their part the visitors have lost three of their last four games and relinquished their proud unbeaten home record last weekend, to Newcastle of all teams.

Worcester are both confident of and dead set on a healthy dollop of revenge.

“We want to try and get a result big time because they turned us over at the start of the season,” said Ruddock.

“We make no secret of the fact we are going to be highly motivated on Saturday to try and turn them over and put the record straight. I expect a big response from my players.

“In fairness to them they put us off our game when we played them up there. They rattled us and poured through the line at lineout time and made it difficult to get the ball away.

“They competed superbly well in the breakdown area. It was the first game under the tackle directive and we gave a hell of a lot of penalties away from not being efficient.

“Not having an out and out seven counted against us and we have learned the lesson from that.

“They were full value for their win, they played better than us. We had to take that on the chin.”

Warriors’ chances of making Northampton take something on the chin will be helped by the recovery of Chris Latham, who has missed the last couple of matches with turf toe.

They will also be boosted by the steady hand and boot of Willie Walker at fly half but not by the fact Tom Wood has been ruled out for several weeks with a broken jaw.

That affords James Collins the chance to reclaim a place on the bench and prove that Pat Sanderson’s days hogging the openside berth are numbered.

Rico Gear, finally in form after a year of trying, is set to move back to his wing spot with Miles Benjamin stepping down.

Dale Rasmussen will reclaim the No 13 shirt while last weekend’s man of the match Alex Grove will continue at inside centre with former Welsh international Hal Luscombe dropped.

“The key is stringing a couple of wins together,” said Ruddock. “That will improve your confidence no end and really we need to back up last weekend’s victory with another one. It’s a big game for us in terms of trying to push on.” And in righting a wrong too.