Friday, September 24, 2004

JOHN Brain admitted that Worcester Warriors were handed a "drubbing" by Sale Sharks last night.

The Sixways director of rugby saw his Premiership new boys ripped apart as Worcester went down to the biggest top flight defeat on record since 2001.

Four tries in each half from a lightning fast Sharks side saw them go top of the table and left Worcester wondering just where their first win would come from.

"Sale are the best side we've face this season, there's no doubt about it," he said. "They've got power and pace right throughout the side and we had no answer to it. Our players know that, the way they executed things, they let themselves down. Sale got a lot right on the night and we didn't. The result of that was a drubbing but what we have to accept is that we played a very good team. We've got a big game against Harlequins next week and now, for us, it's all about how we react to this."

Worcester actually began the game well at Edgeley Park but ultimately only managed to score three points through James Brown's 25th minute penalty.

"Obviously we have to examine the areas of our performance that we can effect," added Brain. "We will do that but we were playing a good side and, to be perfectly honest, I was far more annoyed to lose last week against Bath.

"At least if you lose a game by 57 points to three, you know you've been beaten well against a very good team."

Worcester were 31-3 down at half time after tries from Chris Jones (2), Mark Cueto and Magnus Lund. Colin Noon picked up a yellow card after some off-the-ball handbags with Barry Stewart while Charlie Hodgson kicked 11 points. Jones completed his hat-trick in the second half while Bryan Redpath, Jason Robinson and Stuart Turner also ran in touchdowns against a ragged Worcester side. Hodgson heaped on more misery for the Warriors, ending the match with a 17-point haul after lock Tim Collier was also yellow carded.

Worcester: Delport; O'Leary, Hinshelwood, Lombard, Gollings; Brown, Cole; Windo, Daly, Noon, Collier, Gillies, Hickey, Sanderson, MacLeod-Henderson. Replacements: Sparks, Van Niekerk, Mason, Murphy, Stuart-Smith, Rasmussen, Roke. Attendance: 6,647.