Worcester Warriors — Aviva Premiership’s ‘most passionate fans’?

Worcester Rugby Video Rating: five / 5

LARDER GETS NEW CONTRACT

Phil Larder, the defensive coach of the Aviva Premiership side the Worcester Warriors has agreed to a contract extension that was offered to him by the club, according to the reports that will bind him to the club till the end of the 2014 season. Larder was a part of the backroom staff of England manager Sir Clive Woodward when the team won the Rugby World Cup back in 2003 and was made the defensive coach of the Warriors in 2007.

After rejoining the club in June 2011, he weaved magic and made the defensive lineup of the Warriors one of the strongest in the Aviva Premiership and it is being believed that this contract extension is recognition for the work he has done. Having gained promotion from the Championship to the Aviva Premiership only last season, not many people had given the Worcester Warriors much chance of staying up this season but they have surprised almost everyone by cementing the 10^th position in the table, a full 12 points ahead of the Newcastle Falcons who occupy the sole relegation place and look almost certain to follow Leeds Carnegie to the Championship.

The Warriors are now looking to solidify their status in the Aviva Premiership before they chase the title and by securing the services of one of the best defensive coaches in the game, they are well on their way to doing that. According to the head coach of the club Richard Hill, the work that Larder has done is extremely wonderful and according to the reports, it was on the suggestion of the head coach that the management decided to hand out the extension to Larder.

The Worcester Warriors will also try to use his status as a players’ man to get new players to come on board.

Worcester Warriors v Ulster Rugby

Worcester Rugby Video clip Rating: 3 / 5

HILL SETS NEW TARGET

Worcester last weekend seemingly secured their Premiership survival for another year. Their Head Coach Richard Hill is now setting his players the target of making themselves the best ever Worcester side and make this season their best ever campaign.

Worcester have six games remaining and have already racked up 31 points. Their highest ever tally for a complete season in 47 from the 2005/06 campaign. With six games to go, the task of gaining a further 16 points will be a tough one starting with a trip to Bath at the weekend. Both sides are on a good run of form and both will be hoping to pull well away from the bottom two in the remainder of the season.

Worcester’s recent form has seen them secure victories against Gloucester, Wasps and Saracens as well as running Harlequins and Sale incredibly close. The one thing missing from recent performances though is an away win, they have not won away from home for two months and they will have to put that right if they are to reach Hill’s target of becoming the best ever Warriors side.

The current crop does not a have a lot to aspire to in terms of previous Worcester teams. They have been predominantly a yoyo side with only the odd successful season in the Premiership to show for their recent years. The side that picked up 47 points in 2006 followed it up with being in relegation battles every season until their eventual relegation in 2010. The current side have had moments of showing they could progress and build upon their achievements this year.

Hill is seemingly setting little targets for his side. Now they have (effectively) avoided relegation they will aim for their record points haul. They are looking to progress, which is the one thing Warriors sides in the past have never managed. They need to be in the position to go into next season with ambitions greater than to stay up. Sale, Northampton and Harlequins all sit in the upper positions on the table having struggled at times in recent years and Worcester must aspire to follow them in climbing the table and making some sort of progress.

DAVIES BACKS GOODE

Worcester forwards coach Phil Davies believes that the Warriors fly half Andy Goode is becoming a better player as a result of the good form of his rival for the number 10 jersey, Joe Carlisle.

Goode was forced out of the Worcester side for a time earlier this season with Carlisle replacing him at stand-off. But since his return to the starting fifteen Goode has been on an inspired run of form, scoring three tries in his last three games. He scored all of the Warriors points in their defeat at the hands of French giants Stade Francais and has seemed an all round improved player.

Phil Davies has commented on how Goode “has been made to fight for his place”. Goode has raised his game, and now seems to have regained his place in the side. Davies did though ensure he gave time to praise “Joe’s enthusiasm and skill” especially in the way it has spurred Goode on to raise his own game.

This does therefore mean that Worcester are in the luxurious position of having two fly halves on excellent form. This will no doubt be a huge boost for Worcester as they attempt to pull away from Newcastle, Bath and Wasps at the foot of the table and secure their Premiership survival.

Goode has said he does not feel under any pressure to prove himself to his side, but since returning to the side as a substitute against Gloucester earlier this month he has done himself some fairly significant favours with an impressive run of form, capped with an impressive individual try against Stade at the weekend.

The Warriors will be keen for Goode’s form to continue with two Anglo Welsh Cup games coming up and then a return to league action with a trip to Sale on February 10th. They have a tough February on the whole with the trip to Stockport being followed by games against the league’s top two. Any points they pick up will be a bonus in their campaign to stay up for another year.

PLYMOUTH TAKE TWO ON LOAN

Plymouth Albion Rugby Football Club have secured the signings of two of its former players George Porter and Sione Tu’ipulotu from Premiership club the Worcester Warriors on loan for the remainder of the season with a view to making the move a permanent one at the end of the season if they manage to meet the Warriors’ valuation of the players.

Tu’ipulotu, a center and Porter, a prop left the Brickfields club at the start of the season to move to the Warriors but they did not manage to secure a regular spot in the starting lineup and hence, they opted to move on loan in order to gain some more game time.

However, the chances of Porter getting ample game time to immediately get into the starting lineup at Plymouth Albion look slim at the moment with him suffering from severe appendicitis. According to the coach of the Albion side, the two players know how the team play and all their systems thoroughly from their time at Brickfields before they moved to the Worcester Warriors in the summer and he hopes that the two can quickly get back into the system and start to push for selection as early as possible.

Richard Hill, the coach of the Warriors first team emphasized on the importance of all their players getting ample game time so as to remain match fit and start pushing for a place in the starting lineup and the players who show potential but are not quite ready to play in the big leagues are farmed out on loan so that they can gain the experience needed and he hopes that the two players can return to the club more matured, developed and experienced to play in the starting lineup of the Worcester Warriors side in the Premiership.