Worcester Warriors travel to Saints for season's opener
Jun 25 2009 by Brian Dick, Birmingham Post
Mike Ruddock learned yesterday he must open the new Guinness Premiership campaign at the venue where last season’s lofty ambitions were wrecked, as Premier Rugby unveiled the new fixtures list.
Almost 12 months to the day since they were humbled by then National One champions Northampton, Ruddock’s Worcester must return to Franklin’s Gardens and do everything they can to avoid both the performance and the result that made their last visit so miserable.
If they can do that they will be in good heart when they welcome newly-promoted Leeds Carnegie to Sixways in the second weekend of September, in what could either be a great or the worst possible start.
Local rivals Gloucester await down the M5 for the first fixture of 2010 while both clubs end the season at Sixways on Saturday May 8.
Ruddock, in the last year of his contract, will want to make sure there is no repeat of the relegation battle that invest that match with more significance than is already the case.
He will also want to reverse the means and the end of their previous trip to Saints’ famous ground when they turned up last September with a spring in their step and hopeful of their best ever showing in the English top flight.
But those hopes were reduced to rubble as they not only lost 21-13 but were as far away from mastering the ELVs and breakdown directive as any team in the competition.
They never recovered.
4/5/6 September – Northampton Saints v Worcester Warriors
11/12/13 September – Worcester Warriors v Leeds Carnegie
18/19/20 September – London Wasps v Worcester Warriors
25/26/27 September – Worcester Warriors v Sale Sharks
2/3/4 October – Leicester Tigers v Worcester Warriors
23/24/25 October – Worcester Warriors v Harlequins
30/31/1 October/November – Newcastle Falcons v Worcester Warriors
20/21/22 November – Worcester Warriors v Bath Rugby
27/28/29 November – Worcester Warriors v Saracens
4/5/6 December – London Irish v Worcester Warriors
26/27 December - Worcester Warriors v Northampton Saints
1/2/3 January – Gloucester v Worcester Warriors
8/9/10 January – Worcester Warriors v London Irish
12/13/14 February – Saracens v Worcester Warriors
19/20/21 February – Bath Rugby v Worcester Warriors
26/27/28 February – Worcester Warriors v Newcastle Falcons
5/6/7 March – Harlequins v Worcester Warriors
27/27/28 March – Worcester Warriors v Leicester Tigers
2/3/4 April – Sale Sharks v Worcester Warriors
16/17/18 April – Worcester Warriors v London Wasps
23/24/25 April – Leeds Carnegie v Worcester Warriors
8 May – Worcester Warriors v Gloucester
