IN THEIR relegation season of 2013–14, Worcester Warriors were able to win a feeble two of their 22 matches in the Aviva Premiership and now they are half way to that sorry total after only one match. Their thrilling 13-12 win over Northampton at Sixways on Friday has given their season the very best start and there were signs that a team almost completely different to that which was relegated, is bedding in very nicely under the coaching of Dean Ryan.
Northampton will improve and they were several key players short, but Worcester thoroughly deserved their victory, because they had the edge in terms of territory and possession and, probably, passion. Northampton, for their part, simply did not create enough chances.
The end was dramatic. Worcester moved into the final quarter leading 10-9 and yet, horrendously, they missed four shots at goal from reasonable positions, with Tom Heathcote missing three and Ryan Mills one.
This left them vulnerable to a late Northampton charge and with less than three minutes remaining, the Worcester captain and man of the match, Gerrit-Jan van Velze dragged down a driving maul and Steve Myler put Northampton ahead for the first time with a penalty. There was every chance, with just one minute remaining, of a familiar Sixways scenario – that Worcester had played well and could and should have won, but did not.
It looked even worse when the clock was counting down and Northampton were taking the ball calmly through phases, but the it seemed to shoot out of the grasps of one of their forwards and with seconds remaining, Worcester launched a desperate late attack. It was Mills, who had played superbly at inside centre, who made the most ground and Heathcote, after his three misses, boldly stood in the pocket and dropped the winning goal.
Advertisement
Heathcote is an interesting player. He was seen as the next big thing at Bath a few years ago but his development was curtailed by the arrival of George Ford at the club from Leicester and eventually, he went on to play for Edinburgh. For this season, Ryan has bought him back south. He can play. He may not be the most consistent and he may make errors but if Ryan can boost his confidence then he could easily become a starter in the Premiership.
Indeed, it was Heathcote who created the only try of the match at a crucial stage in the first half. Worcester battered away through phases, moving the play to the left and the right, but without ever finding space in a match when the two defensive lines were excellent. But suddenly, Heathcote threw a dummy, accelerated through the gap and Van Velze scored and the conversion gave Worcester some clear water.
Heathcote and Mills gave Worcester the vision of authority in the inside backs for which they have searched for so long. Chris Pennell was outstanding at full-back and the arrival of Wynand Olivier, the South African hard man, has added another element. Up front, Nick Schonert was a rock in the scrummage and Phil Dowson had a tremendous game against the club for whom he played for so long.
The outstanding Northampton player was Jamie Gibson, who looked every inch a good capture from Leicester. He was powerful in all phases. However, there was little electricity about the team, Jim Mallinder, their coach, will be cracking the whip to make sure that this poor start to the season does not continue.
It is traditional to make the promoted team favourites for relegation. Last season, London Welsh were runaway favourites and sadly for them, they did not disappoint. On this evidence Worcester certainly have it in them to survive and even if they can win home games, it will be tough to pull clear of a relegation battle that has too often been their natural if unwanted habitat.