Ruddock: Season starts here

Ruddock: Relieved

The youngsters at the moment are really putting their hands up. It was good to see Miles get back on the sheet.

Mike Ruddock
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• London Irish
• Worcester

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• Miles Benjamin

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Mike Ruddock hopes Worcester's 22-5 win over London Irish will give his side some much-needed momentum for the rest of the season.

Wing Miles Benjamin went over twice for the home side, while lock Graham Kitchener and replacement Loki Crichton added the others as the Warriors claimed a bonus-point success.

Irish were left to rue a poor kicking performance from fly-half Eoghan Hickey, who missed four out of four at goal, while England scrum-half Peter Richards scored a great individual try in the second-half.

Worcester now go to Welsh region and cup holders Ospreys, and director of rugby Ruddock said: "We have to use this competition to build momentum which is what we did with the European Challenge Cup last year.

"We need to build confidence from this towards the next round of the Guinness Premiership and see what happens.

"The Ospreys down in Swansea will be tough and a big one but, if we can get a result from there, then there is a chance we can progress from the group.

Concerned

"They gave us a battering up here last year which we have not forgotten, so I guess we have a point to prove down there in a couple of weeks' time."

England manager Martin Johnson was also at Sixways running the rule over national Elite squad players like Richards and inside centre Shane Geraghty, but Ruddock hoped he did not miss his own men.

"The youngsters at the moment are really putting their hands up. It was good to see Miles get back on the sheet," added Ruddock.

"He is like a centre forward in soccer that, when they (tries) dry up, you start to get a little concerned."

Irish coach Toby Booth, however, was disappointed that the players he gave chances to did not take them at Sixways.

"Worcester came out and thoroughly deserved to win the game," said Booth.

Serious

"All credit to them but I think we ought to be more clinical to take certain chances we have. I'm slightly disappointed that some people, who were given the opportunity, did not turn up.

"As you can imagine, from a coach's point of view with the competition for places and people banging you for a chance, I thought some of the youngsters and boys coming back from injury provided the performances I expected.

"But you need people who are controlling the game to drive those points home and that didn't happen."

As for Geraghty, returning from a serious ankle injury, he said: "Shane has got a bang in the bicep but he will be okay.

"I think Shane Geraghty needs to put a series of games together and play well in those games before he is thrust into the next level up and is expected to spark the England revival.

"He is a young man with broad shoulders but he needs to make sure he controls what he is responsible for and is comfortable with that. Once it happens, Shane will get better and better."