Dewi Morris reflects on an incredible Championship play-off between Worcester and Bristol
Thursday 28 May 2015 16:50, UK
It was an amazing night at Sixways on Wednesday as Worcester booked their place in next season’s Aviva Premiership thanks to a remarkable comeback in the last five minutes.
It was almost like when you played the game and you could anticipate that something was going to happen. The first half wasn’t like that of the first leg, it was a bit more cagey, there was a bit more kicking. They were kicking to contest the ball and then all of a sudden it just lit up.
The crowd, Bristol brought 3,000 fans to a 12,000 capacity at Sixways, was as packed as anything. It was like the good old days when the place used to rock. It is a Premiership ground, it demands Premiership rugby and now they’ve got it. It was one of those special nights that flies in the face of people who say ‘we want to ring-fence this and that.’
For theatre, you couldn’t ask for four greater acts – one and two at Ashton Gate and three and four at Sixways. It was just pure theatre and I don’t think Shakespeare could have written a play or a story any better - heartbreak for Bristol and incredible joy for Worcester Warriors.
Speaking to a few of the Worcester players after the game, they were quite bemused and baffled at how they got away with it. Give credit to Bristol, they came back in that second half and if they’d have kicked their goals in the first half it would have been 16-12 rather than 16-6 behind.
They came out and played their hand, absolutely battered Worcester and scored three tries down that right-hand side while Cooper Vuna was in the bin. I think I said it commentary ‘they’ve got it, they can’t come back from here’, but it’s amazing how one aggregate point the Warriors brought into the game was the difference.
They were battered but they didn’t bow, they came back and showed incredible spirit. I shook Tom Biggs’ hand as he came off the pitch and he said ‘I’ve never played in a game like that’ and I said ‘you probably never will again!’
It was a wonderful night at Sixways and the spirit brought them through. I don’t think they were the best side on the night but it doesn’t matter. Sometimes sport is cruel and sometimes it rewards the ones who endeavour and keep on going. How on earth Worcester dragged themselves back I don’t know because they were out, they were on the ropes and they were down. But that is sport in its rawest form.
It was an emotional night. I think anybody who saw it; the neutral in particular, will have enjoyed it. It’s sorrow again for Bristol because they have another 12 months in the second tier so your heart goes out to them.
They’ve invested so much and they will get up into the Premiership one day, it probably will be next year, and it may be one year too quick for Worcester. Talking to their fans they thought maybe they could consolidate this year and go up next year but that hasn’t happened.
I think they’ve got to throw the chequebook at it now and knowing Dean Ryan he will endeavour to get the right types of players. Mike Williams is off to Leicester Tigers and Gus Creevy is going down to Super Rugby, those are two big losses. Creevy was outstanding in the tight and some of his turnovers were amazing and Mike Williams is a presence around the field.
They need some big hitters, they need some big carriers of the ball, but I’m sure Dean is well aware of that and what they have to do. They’ve got tremendous heart, they’ve got a very good ‘A’ side but they are going to need to increase their weight because it is an unforgiving league as London Welsh found out last year.
I think they’re in a much better place than London Welsh were, but they will struggle. There are going to be dark days in the Premiership just because of the physical nature, but all they can do is look back at that last ten minutes against Bristol and how they pulled themselves through.
Dean Ryan was very gracious in victory, offering his commiserations to Bristol and that’s because he’s been there and he knows what it’s like. When he was at Gloucester they finished top of the pile and, because of the play-off system, they lost in the finals at Twickenham a couple of times. He knows what that despair feels like. He knows how much investment has gone into his club and how much investment has gone into Bristol but there can only be one winner.
The Premiership will be the same unforgiving place next season unless you’re prepared but one thing the Warriors will have is total preparation. I think their defence were resolute when they were up to 15 guys and they just kept trying and trying and trying. They were on their knees and somehow they got back up. They dodged a bullet, well they probably dodged a cannon ball actually, the way Bristol were swarming all over them in the second half.
It was an incredible performance from Bristol but that’s sport, you never give up until the final whistle. I have to give a special mention to James Percival in the pack, who I thought was outstanding, and Chris Pennell. I could have given man-of-the-match to everyone in a Worcester shirt but I singled him out because that finish in the first half was top draw, and he just happened to be on the end for the crucial try - they need people like that.
Obviously, he stayed with them when they got relegated and, in a sense, put his England career on hold but it shows what it is to be a club man and to want Warriors back in the Premiership.
The support the crowd gave them after Dean called for a 16th man - well the supporters probably gave them the 17th, 18th and 19th in that last 10 minutes - was amazing. Those situations don’t come around very often.
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If you are a neutral it was probably two of the best games of sport you’ve seen and you could understand what both sides were feeling. All the coaches hate it, I know that for a fact, but they’ve got to get into it, they’ve got to buy into it and if you come through it you’ll look back at it in years to come and think ‘we did it and we don’t ever want to have to do it again!’
It was a humbling night to be there, my heart goes out to Bristol and the fans because they gave everything, but it was just one of those amazing nights in sport and whether you’re a rugby union fan or not, you couldn’t fail to enjoy it.
