Comment

NEVER had a Worcester Warriors season been greeted with such a feeling of anticipation and optimism as the 2007/08 campaign.

However, it has been a roller-coaster ride at Sixways this term with the early-season feelings of positivity and expectation soon collapsing into doom and gloom as Warriors failed to record a league victory in 2007 before soaring up again as the Ruddock revolution' finally clicked into gear.

Now, Worcester have reached a major cup final, are 80 minutes away from Heineken Cup qualification and have enjoyed arguably the most successful season in their history.

It all started so positively. With a Grand Slam-winning coach at the helm, the promise of attractive, free-flowing rugby and a host of stellar new signings in the pipeline, the Sixways supporters can be forgiven for allowing their imaginations to run wild.

However, the dreams of battling it out for supremacy with the established Guinness Premiership big guns soon gave way to nervous looks over the shoulder as Warriors began the season playing like a team of strangers.

After the first 10 league games, Ruddock's new charges had not grasped his expansive style of play and the side had gleaned just seven points.

At that stage, it was very much a case of Thank God Leeds are in the Premiership' as Worcester's top-flight future looked in the balance.

Worcester fans had trouped off to play Bath at the Rec full of optimism for the campaign ahead on the opening day of the season.

However, the scale of the task Ruddock had on his hands became clear after a chastening 29-15 defeat to Steve Meehan's side, who would go on to make the end-of-season play-offs.

A spirited late 14-point comeback to draw 24-24 with Wasps at Sixways went some way to make up for the Bath bashing, but worse was to follow.

Disappointing defeats and dismal performances came to a head on Friday, October 12. The Leeds games had been targeted as potential five-pointers both home and away, so to go to Headingley, play so wretchedly and lose 26-21 was a catastrophic blow for Ruddock's men.

To make matters worse, key prop Chris Horsman, who was making his first appearance of the season after Rugby World Cup duty with Wales, tore his bicep and wouldn't play again until the penultimate legaue game of the season.

Although Sam Tuitupou and Greg Rawlinson arrived within a week of each other in November before Rico Gear rocked up on December 3, the All Blacks trio didn't have an immediate impact.

Things began to look up with a battling performance - but, again, no points - in the 28-20 defeat to Leicester Tigers at Welford Road, but the fragile confidence was then shattered by a breath-taking Sixways showing from the Ospreys in the Anglo-Welsh Cup.

The Welsh region ran in seven tries as Warriors were humbled 47-16 live on television.

Amid the chaos of disappointing league form and a group stage exit from the EDF Energy Cup, though, the European Challenge Cup campaign was bubbling along nicely.

Convincing home and away victories against Montauban, Gran Parma and Bucuresti saw Warriors pick up 29 points out of a possible 30 in the pool stages to secure home draws for the quarter and semi-finals.

It was now simply a case of transferring the confident, enterprising European displays onto the Guinness Premiership stage.

The breakthrough came on January 26 when Ruddock's predecssor John Brain - now Bristol's forwards coach -returned to Sixways with his new employers.

Second-half tries from captain Pat Sanderson, Kiwi import Rawlinson and centre Dale Rasmussen secured the first victory of the season and - woeful performances at Harlequins and Saracens aside - Warriors have hardly looked back since.

A 22-15 triumph away to top four chasers Sale Sharks lit the blue touch paper and Worcester went on an unbeaten run that stretched until April 12.

The winning sequence included a fine 23-19 success over Leicester but, more importantly for the fans, a 17-14 victory over Gloucester - Warriors first ever league win against their local rivals.

Worcester then rounded off their campaign by completing the double over Bristol, before trouncing a battle-weary Newcastle 51-10 in the final game of the season.

In Europe, first Montpellier, then Newcastle, were brushed aside in the quarter and semi-finals of the ECC to set up next Sunday's date with destiny against Bath at Kingsholm. A win for the Warriors would be a fine way to cap what has become an impressive debut season for Ruddock.

7:10am Friday 16th May 2008

Print

Email this

Comment