Saturday, December 27, 2003

MOST afternoons at Sixways are spent pondering just how many points Worcester will amass on the way to a regulation win.

This certainly wasn't one of them.

With six minutes left of this National One clash, Worcester were looking at the most disappointing result of the season because of their poorest performance of the campaign.

After coming back from a 7-5 half-time deficit, they were 12-7 to the good but looked a long way off that all important bonus point.

Then, referee Sean Davey -- who struggled with Coventry's strong-arm tactics throughout -- awarded the Warriors a penalty try and, with a minute left, frantic Worcester pressure saw replacement Ben Hinshelwood storm to the line as a 5,068 crowd erupted with sheer joy. It was a moment of pure theatre and one which even had the normally ultra reserved John Brain punching the air with gay abandon.

In the cold light of day, however, the performance when viewed again this week is unlikely to bring such emotions to the boil. They recovered magnificently but should, with the amount of possession enjoyed, have really been out of sight midway through the second half. It was a similar story at Sharmans Cross Road recently and the art of turning such possession into points will undoubtedly be exercising the minds of Brain and Co this week.

Certainly, after making seven changes to the side which beat the Bees that day, they did their best to unearth a solution but, after going in at the break behind, it looked like a potential own goal. By that time, Worcester had only a 20th minute Mark Gabey try to show for their efforts while Coventry took full advantage of a Werner Swanepoel horror pass, in first half stoppage time, with a Kurt Johnson touchdown and a Gareth Cull conversion.

The visitors adopted a cynical approach to the game which involved getting in the first punch at every opportunity but it worked for much of the game until fitness and, ultimately, quality told.

When referee Davey's patience eventually wore thin, Gabey and Liet Carlson were both sin-binned, 10 minutes into the second half, for off the ball handbags and, soon after, Colm Hannan's yellow card meant Coventry had to play a good eight minutes with just 13 men. They were never likely to hold out and Tony Windo's pushover try, converted by replacement James Brown, with 20 minutes to go gave the biggest home crowd of the season renewed hope.

With Worcester's coaches gambling, pushing flanker Matt Evans out onto the wing, it was obvious that they would go all out for the four tries and, once the penalty try arrived following some more cynical forward play, the stage was set for a stirring climax.

With coach Andy Keast shouting 'desire' to his players, they responded admirably as the ball was moved down the line before Hinshelwood, a second half replacement for Wes Davies, added the finish as unadulterated delight embraced the Sixways stadium.

Evans scored a disputed fifth of the day in the dying embers while Brown added his third conversion but it was the Scottish international's try which proved to be the abiding memory from this match.

Thirteen wins out of 13 now for the Warriors -- their best ever start to a season at this level -- and what this one lacked in quality, it more than made up for with the absolute drama.

Who said this league was boring?

Worcester: O'Leary 6, Hylton 5, Officer 6, TRUEMAN 8, Davies 5, Hayes 6, Swanepoel 5; Windo 7, Daly 5, Fortey 7, Gabey 6, Gillies 6, M Evans 6, Mason 6, Hickey 6.

Replacements: Powell 7 (Swanepoel 62), Brown 6, Hinshelwood 7 (Davies 40), Hall, Lyman (Fortey 77), Zaltzman 6 (Gabey 62), Pfister 6 (Officer 68).

Man of the match: Gary Trueman -- Didn't always show his true quality but ran himself into the ground in that second half.