JOHN Brain and Andy Keast cannot believe their luck. The Worcester Rugby Club duo have actually got some players back from injury this weekend!
It is has been a long haul since November when players were dropping like flies.
However, slowly but surely the treatment room has emptied and, but for three casualties, the coaching team have had a full squad to choose from for today's clash with Plymouth.
Mark Gabey, Christian Evans, Dan Zaltzman, David Officer, Gary Trueman, James Ogilvie-Bull, Nnamdi Ezulike and Tim Walsh have all recently returned from injuries and coach Keast is well aware that performances have inevitably suffered without such talent.
"You want to have your class players available," said Keast.
"That's an obvious point but we've been hit very hard this season. You've got to hope that that's it now and we've had all of our bad luck. What we want is those players to be available to us for the remaining six games.
"There has been a dip in performance, we readily admit that. But let's not kid ourselves. It's about quality and the majority of those quality players have not been available. When that happens, you are going to get dips.
"It was up to the other guys, who are maybe seen as not the same quality, to come in and show us that they are the same standard. The bottom line is that they haven't done that."
Keast and Brain have paired Officer and Trueman in the Worcester midfield for the first time since September such has been the disruption with injuries. And Keast is backing the dynamic duo to make a big impact today.
"David Officer is feeling a lot more comfortable now after coming back from his long-term injury," added Keast.
"You can see it in his body language. Add Gary Trueman into that and you have a very exciting combination."
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article