2016 / 2017 Off The Pitch

Off season is a sad time for Me.  I miss all of the fan banter, obviously the action on the pitch, but as a Warriors fan it generally means massive changes off the pitch.

This season has been no exception.

The Positives

New Pitch
Love it or hate it this must be seen as a positive.  The owners have identified an opportunity and invested six figures in the club.  It also means we (Warriors fans) get to see the newly formed Worcester Valkyries.

Worcester Valkyries
Our ladies team have been performing so well over the last few years but never managed to get the exposure and coverage they deserve - well now they will get it.
Brought into the Worcester Warriors brand, they get funding, training facilities, new kit and a fan base - games to be played at Sixways (pending changing room organisation) which can only help build their profile.
It has already had a positive affect on my daughter who now wants to play for Worceter and will start training on 5th September with Worceter Rugby Football Club
Follow the Valkyries progress: Twitter

The Not So Positives

No DoR
The Director of Rugby role has always been an odd one to me.  Seemingly the link between the board and the pitch.  When things are good he gets the plaudits and when things do not go to plan the head coach tends to get the sack.  Yes you guessed it - I'm not too fussed about the loss of our figure head.
Hogg and the guys know the plan, they have been eating, sleeping and training it out for as long as Dean Ryan has been promoting it on TV and in the press.
The one thing I think we will miss is his rugby brain.  He clearly had a great vision and knew his stuff.  Time will tell on this front but I am pretty sure his man management and people skills will not be missed.

First Match Blues
We did it - New pitch came in early so a couple of extra home preseason games were planned - brilliant!  Though we subsequently forgot that 2000 rugby fans, on a Friday night may need more than 1 bar and 4 people serving pints.
10 to 30 minutes - the generally reported time it took to get drinks.  Many people just not bothering. The reason for this:

Nice of the club to explain but I still think 1 bar and 4 people serving contributed to the delays more than frothy beer.


On the rugby front, many positives came from the evening:

Stelling certainly looked like he belongs back in the 1st team squad. Massive tackles and must have made more runs than the rest of our team put together. 

Appiah looked good with ball in hand 

"Little" Kitch didn't look happy when he came off! 

Xiourouppa had a corker. Very fast for a 7 though missed tackles on Elias Caven a few times 

Huw had a quiet game compared to previous performances

de Cothi looked great for a lad that was made to retire from our academy not so long ago 

Tiff, sadly for me, has not progressed from being an 18 year old hot prospect and must now accept he will probably become a Championship player 

Shillcock has certainly bulked since his first arrival on the scene and looked pretty solid at 15. 

It made me chuckle to see Ryan "Water Boy" Mills sporting; Under Armour - boots, socks, base layer, t-shirt, jumper and matching hat. Some may say "Full Kit Wan***" 

Fair result on our great new pitch. I think they had a much more experienced side than we did and they certainly had a much more experienced coaching side there. Quite odd seeing JT in Bristol kit. Was nice to see his wife still sporting a Warriors scarf. 

WarriorPhill Returns

After a season long rest I am back and blogging.

In the real world, away from Facebook, Twitter and all things social life gets pretty hectic but sometimes you just need to make time for the things you enjoy - for me that is sharing all things Worcester Warriors

The Plan

As per previous seasons there will be reviews, thoughts and talking points but this time I will be getting some help from my @rugbyworcs partner in crime AJ to provide all the latest news from the internet on our Worcester Warriors.

The Beginning 

So here we go, using my views from forums, Twitter and Facebook - Welcome back to WarriorPhill

Meet WarriorPhill & The Warrior Mason's

One massive change since my last blogging is the addition of 3 season ticket holders to the family.  

My long suffering wife Lydia, newest rugby convert Daisy and Mini Super Fan Aidan.

Aidan is a current member of the WRFC Lions - U8's and massive Ben Howard fan.  He has many views on the team that will be shared on here, in some cases just to see if you guys can help me understand them!

We will keep this blog alive, Tweets of interest will continue to appear on the site and we will share all our views on Worcester Warriors as the season goes on.

Please do keep coming back and help spread the word - Come On You Warriors!

Who Should We Emulate?

Lots of fans, players and even management make constant reference to the Warriors “needing” to be like Exeter Chiefs.  But I don’t agree, I think we need to set our sights higher!

Cast your memory back to the last game of the 2004/5 Zurich Premiership, Warriors at home to Northampton Saints. 8,500 fans turned up to watch the likes of Delport, Rasmussen, Windo, Gillies and Sanderson take on, the then fellow relegation contenders, Saints.  We won that game 21-19 thanks to tries by Raz, Powell and Hickey, finished the season in 9^th place and watched in relief as Harlequins were relegated.

The following season we bettered that finish coming in joint 7^th (8^th).  It looked like we were in the Premiership to stay and that we were progressively getting better.

In the 2006/7 season Northampton Saints found themselves in our current position – last. Ending the season in bottom place 1 point behind us, having finished in 11^th place.  A 9-10 away victory, on New Year’s Day 2007, at Franklins Gardens proved the decisive result.  This should have kicked us into gear to progress up the league and could, easily have ruined the Saints – it would appear it had the opposite affect – on both teams.

The relegated Saints squad included the likes of Diggin, Cohen, Spencer, Thompson and Hartley.  After a successful season in National Division 1, winning both the league and the cup, Northampton have gone on from strength to strength.

Building a squad, bringing on youth and building on a winning culture around the club Saints have won or contested for silverware in every season since their relegation.

THIS is what we want to emulate.

In the same period we have lost top talent, such as Wood, Kitchener, Benjamin, Kvesic, Mullan, been relegated twice and won promotion once, but not really contested for anything higher than the relegation battle in the Premiership or group stage European rugby.

Yes Exeter have a sound business model, Yes they have taken on the premiership and pushed for European glory, but in 8 year’s time would I rather we had followed the Chiefs route or the Saints route?  The statistics speak for themselves:

Northampton Saints, since being promoted back to top tier rugby:

2008/9

Guiness A League Winners

Amlin Challenge Cup Winners

2009/10

Anglo-Welsh Cup Winners

2010/11

Heineken Cup Runners Up

2011/12

Anglo-Welsh Cup Runners Up

2012/13

Aviva Premiership Runners Up

2013/14

Anglo-Welsh Cup Runners Up

Amlin Challenge Cup Winners

Aviva Premiership Winners

Right now we can only dream of club honours anything like those of Saints, but they have proved it is possible, following relegation, to climb to the top.

Retaining the likes of Creevy, Thomas and Pennell was a massive step in the right direction.  Signing experienced and exciting players like Sanderson, Mulchrone, Biggs and Mills shows that the club are pushing, they are serious about becoming a top club. 

Nick Johnston could be our key man for finally becoming the big club we all know the Warriors can be.  He has been there and done it.  Johnston joined Saints in 2008 and has been part of the revelation that are now, Aviva Premiership Champions - Northampton Saints.

Can we look forward to back to back Premiership finals in 2021?  If so, it will, in part be down to the clubs desire to bring in talent, expand the academy and create a winning rugby culture.  Should it happen then not only can we look forward to teams like Toulon and Leinster coming to Sixways we can look forward to having one of the best grounds in English rugby.  Get the results, bring in the fans and the Sixways 20/20 plan will be completed – 20,000 seats by 2020.

We are 1 year into a 5 year plan, I think we need to look further ahead, going 1 better than the Chiefs and doing it the Saints way.

What Happened to the 2013/14 Season?

Well in terms of my blog, nothing!  Could I think of anything positive to say? No.  Could I think of anything interesting to say? No.  Will it be any different this season?  I think so!

I was recently asked by the Worcester Observer for my opinions on last season, but as I was only asked 3 questions and had only 120 words to answer so thought I would expand a bit in this blog.  Then for me that is closure on the 2013/14 Worcester Warriors season.

This is what I was asked:

"When did Warriors look doomed?

After our defeat to London Irish as we still had Leicester Tigers, Northampton Saints, Bath and Saracens to play.

Best away performance?

If we had stayed up it would have been our vital away win against Newcastle Falcons, but as we did not then it has to go to our display at Harlequins where we secured a losing bonus point.

What needs to improve next season?

Our defence. Bristol have shown you can finish top of the Championship by saying ‘no matter how many you score we will score more’, but I am unsure whether that will get you through the play-off system."

I few other fans were asked different questions, this is what my response would have been if I was asked:

Favourite game at Sixways?

Gloucester. Not because we beat our local rivals but because we finally won a game at home.  We could have been playing against the lowest side in professional rugby and it still would have been my favourite game as it prevented us going a whole season without a home league win.

Try of the season?

Andy Symons break, away to Falcons, signaled his arrival in the team and created our first win of the season.  For quality of try I would probably go with David Lemi's try resulting from Chris Pennell's amazing off load.

Unsung hero?

Percy.  Chris Pennell has been outstanding, Mike Williams has been one of many young players to break into the team, but James Percival still plays every minute of every game as if it is his last!

Match to forget?

Home to Falcons. Offy Report Having already lost at home to Irish this was a game that needed a massive performance.  We didn't even get a performance.  One of the worst games I have ever seen at Sixways!

Star player?

Looking past Chris Pennell then Mike Williams.  Arrived at the club as an unknown lock but has ended the season as young player of the season and as our outstanding back row forward for 2013/14

What to expect in the Championship?

Hard fought run to the final.  Past this, due to the nature of the play off lottery I cannot predict.  I do expect to see Dean Ryan's vision start to come through, but only if our front row is up to the challenge.

Biggest disappointment?

The front row.  Even Creevy did not quite make the impact I did hope for, but being out so long with injury did not help that.  Obviously not having a reliable 10 all season had massive impact.  If any one single thing could have been changed from last season it would have been to retain or bring in a 10 of Goode's quality to kick 200+ points for us.  This above anything else would have prevented our relegation.

Proudest moment?

When the rest of the country finally accepted what Warriors fans have known for a few seasons, that Chris Pennell is a top class full back and that he is of England pedigree.

Three players to watch next season?

Mike Williams - can only get better, could have secured the 6 shirt but with the quantity of back row players coming in we may see him play a few more games at lock.

Tom Biggs - Quality!  Simple as that.  Will score bag loads of tries in the Championship

Charlie Mulchrone - A very experienced Championship scrum-half, captained his side to the semi-finals, knows how the league works and will have plenty of "inside information" when it comes to the big games.

So they are my thoughts on last season, a season to forget, but with some positives:

1. Chris Pennell

2. Mike Williams

3. Andy Symons

We say goodbye to a lot of players, as per previous seasons:

Jon Andress

Jeremy Becasseau

Ed Shervington

Chris Brooker

Euan Murray

Chris Jones

Mariano Galarza

Dean Scofield

Semisi Taulava

Danny Gray

Jon Clarke

Josh Matavesi

David Lemi

Paul Warwick

Paul Hodgson 

We say hello to even more:

Andries Pretorius

Matt Cox

Ryan Mills

G J Van Velze

Charlie Mulchrone

Joe Rees
Heath Stevens
Sam Smith
Niall Annett
Ben Sowrey
Dan Sanderson
Nick Schonert
Tom Biggs
Ryan Bower
Dan George
Darren O'Shea
Jean-Baptiste Bruzulier

Yes it is all change again, just like last season, but the key difference this time is that for each man leaving we have a better, or potentially better, replacement.

Come On You Warriors!

JP Morgan 7's Final 2013

In early August 2012 Worcester Warriors managed something never before achieved, we won 3 from 3 on a JP7's night and progressed through to the finals.

The success was such a boost to players and fans alike, with Twitter, Facebook and forum explosions.  I've not seen so many positive Warrior's comments since we won the Championship final against Pirates.

The group stage was played in front of 12,000 fans at Kingsholm, in glorious sunshine and marked the launch of BT Sport, the final however was not so prestigious.  The Rec, I am afraid to say, lives up to it's name, especially out of season.  With only 3 of it's 4 stands in place and the Terrace being made up of composite parts and scaffolding, the ground did not reflect the beautiful surroundings.

With around 6,000 in the ground the cheerleaders and announcers had their work cut out to build the atmosphere and more importantly the volume, but once the action was underway the fans soon got into the mood.

First up on the night: Worcester Warriors vs Leicester Tigers.  

In the build up to the final, 7's captain and England 7's player Richard de Carpentier declared in his interviews that we were no longer the underdogs, that would should be taken seriously and that we had something to prove.  Big words and did just the job to excite the fans and build a level of expectation that, I am sure, swelled the numbers of travelling Warriors fans.

So with expectation high and even outside rugby fans such as @rugbyTON and @rugbystig suggesting we should be favourites the match night squad entered the stadium with high expectations:

01 Richard de Carpentier (c)
02 Cameron Goodhue
03 Andrew Boyce
04 James Stephenson
05 Paul Hodgson
06 Tom Chapman
07 Tiff Eden
08 Max Stelling
09 Rhys Owen
10 Ben Howard
11 Reece Chapman-Carry
12 George de Cothi

With only one change from last week, the enforced replacement of Josh Buggea with Warriors new boy Cameron Goodhue, the majority of the squad were heavily involved in getting us to the final and had been playing together for a couple of weeks.

The players took to the field and all the Warrior fans around us were excitedly cheering, shouting and and bashing the stupid TRY signs that double for a fan and fart sound generator.

We all knew that our key strength in the group games was our acceleration into the game, rapid response to the breakdown and breaking the defensive line over and over again, most teams didn't even get a score against us in the first half last week and more of this was on order.

A twitchy start followed with successive poor passes from Tiff Eden preventing James Stephenson the chance of an early pitch length run for a try.  A few minutes later and Tigers convert the first try of the tournament.  Slow start in comparison to last week but this is 7's rugby and there was plenty of time to get scoring. Unfortunately following some extremely odd refereeing decisions Tigers were the next on the score sheet, which was made even worse 20 seconds from half time when captain Rich DC was yellow carded for a "high tackle", at the time of writing this I am yet to see anything that tells me the tackle warranted a penalty, yet alone a yellow card.

The game restarted with a halftime score of 0-14 and with last weeks man of the round still in the bin Tigers took their chances and ran in to make it 0-21 and very uncomfortable for the Warriors.  Eden seemingly finding it hard to reach his levels of last week was replaced, leaving us without a kicking specialist on the pitch.

At this point Max Stelling started his single handed mission to bring us back into the game with our first try of the evening, making the scores 5-21 with the conversion missed in relatively comedic style.  Bouncing and buoyant the Warriors turned to face the Tigers restart which immediately alluded our defensive plans and resulted in a try, 5-28.  A further try with 1 minute left on the clock sealing the result, Stelling tried his hardest again to level out the game, again scoring a try and this time kicking his own conversion.

Final score 12-35

Having opened the finals, as the newly crowned group winners and trophy hopefuls, against the team least expected to win, with a hammering it looked like it could be a long night for Warriors fans.

Following the games of Glaws vs Falcons, Tigers played Quins, the 3rd team in our final group.  We were firm in the knowledge that we needed Quins to win this to stand any chance of getting to the final.  At the start of the game all Tigers needed was a bonus point to prevent us form being able to get to the final.

In a very exciting game Tigers finish the victors, sealing their place in the final and relegating the Warriors vs Quins game to one of pride more than competition.

20:40 came and with nothing to play for both teams entered the pitch.  From a Worcester point of view the first half was bit of a non event, from a fans point of view, standing at the end of the pitch we should have been attacking it was literally a non event and it ended 0-10.

With a defence leaking tries through the middle we started the second half in the same vein as the first and conceded a try giving Quins a 15-0 lead.  In the past this is where I would expect to see a capitulation and clear signs of player saving themselves for the next game, but not with the new look Worcester.

A cracking try from new boy Tom Chapman, quickly followed by a try from Reece Chapman-Carry brought the scores to 14-15, the competition was back on, but on the downside, in completing the conversion, Tiff Eden slipped and hurt his ankle.

With the game in the balance and pride on the line our boys took the game to Quins and went for it, giving it everything they had to get the win.  As sometimes happens in rugby, the harder you push for the victory the easier it is for your opponents counter attack. Unfortunately for our lads the harder they tried to score the bigger the gaps they left open and the game and competition was over.

Final score 14-29

I very disappointing end to our 7's series though our most successful JP Morgan 7's ever.

Why did we go into the evening on such a high and leave on such a low?  It isn't because the other teams were any better than our group competition, proved by the fact Gloucester ran out eventual winners, no it was more to do with our mentality and ability to hit the pitch with nothing to prove and take the other teams by surprise.  This was evident by the 'school boy' errors by the like of Tiff Eden in the first game against Tigers.

In the group stage we were underdogs, our players knew it, the other teams knew it and the commentators wouldn't stop saying it even when 20+ points up against Exeter or Bath. We were underdogs and the players used that to our advantage, we flew out of the blocks, seized the initiative and ran in points.  There were no nerves as we had nothing to lose and fast flowing rugby was allowed by the officials.  It could not have been more different in the finals.

In the finals we were the self proclaimed "former underdogs", we now had a target; winning, we now had pressure; expectation and we now had opposition that saw us as a threat and was not going to take it easy on us.

I cannot say that any of our lads had a bad game, the problem was that they did not achieve the highs set at Kingsholm, they did not have the best game we had ever seen them play, as they all came last week, they performed, battled ok at the break down, made some good off loads, made a handful of line breaks and defended most attacks ok. 

Nothing about our game was exceptional.

Warrior of the Night: Max Stelling.  The giant centre, playing like a forward in the break down and a winger in open play.  Not only did he score half of our tries he converted one of them and put in sound solid tackles.  A great prospect for the coming seasons.

Well done to the young lads, welcome to the new lads, you all did us proud and exceeded all of our pre-tournament expectations.

Welcome back Worcester Warriors, the 2013/14 season has started and it has, so far, been a ball.

The New Season

Having had a nice rest at the end of last season and now building up my writing strength in preseason I will be fighting fit for the coming season. 

The season appears to have started early for us with the surprise success in the JP Morgan 7's last week, so I will be returning from preseason early with a report following this Fridays final at the Rec

Tom Chapman out pacing Bath to score his first try in a Warriors shirt

Is Ignacio Mieres any Good(e)?

Ignacio Mieres

Player profile on the Worcester Warriors new fly half

"Nacho" as he's known to many rugby fans was a complete bolt out of the blue and one signing in particular that I never expected especially as he was contracted to the Chiefs for next season. I guess he was the signing that showed Goodey was surplus to requirements at Warriors.

I personally rate Ignacio highly, but he still has some improvements to make on his game management in my opinion. Even so I still think he's a very good modern day fly half with great attributes such as his speed and eye for a gap in the opposition defence.

The season before last,he was rated as one of the stand out performers in the league for the Exeter Chiefs, but last year he struggled to nail down a starting place due to Gareth Steenson's impressive form and some personal issues See Position Profile Fly Half

It's difficult to say how to rate this signing as Goodey was a "fans favourite" who had fantastic vision and a great kicking percentage that was always at the top of the charts in the Premiership.

All in all my personal view is that Nacho is the perfect age and will only get better as the years go on and not only that, I also think Paul Warwick will help improve his game with his guidance and input. 

With Meires I think he will add more to our attacking game with the "ball in hand" attacking game we're trying to adopt and is potentially a better passer of the ball than Goodey as many times last season I witnessed Goode incomplete a fair few passes on a regular basis.

One thing Warriors fans shouldn't forget  is that Nacho is a International player, but doesn't currently feature in the Los Pumas Argentinian squad, which will only make him more hungry to do well with our club so he can get himself into the minds of the selectors in time for the upcoming World Cup. 

With this in mind I can really see him playing out of his skin and in my view can only benefit our team and I think we have a very good fly half on our books indeed. 

AJ Bailey