15 for 10: Worcester Warriors - an all-decade XV
With 2020 now having arrived, here is the final part of the Rugby Pass 15 for 10 series – a look at Worcester Warriors.
The club have faced a tough decade, not only on the pitch where they have been relegated in an annual battle at the bottom of the Gallagher Premiership but also in terms of retaining their players as a number of ‘bigger’ clubs have swooped for some of Worcester’s best talents. Thankfully, that seems as if it is a trend in reverse now.
A strong 2019/20 campaign is helping the club end the decade on a high and the core of a more competitive squad is being formed. We look back at some of the players that have helped the Warriors get to that position in the Premiership.
- Chris Pennell
One of the club’s most dedicated servants, Pennell has been with Worcester since 2007 and is closing in on 250 appearances for his hometown team. His consistency for and loyalty to Worcester should be celebrated, especially as a move to a team at the other end of the table could well have seen him feature more regularly for England.
- Bryce Heem
Both Miles Benjamin and Marcel Garvey had longer and more influential stints at the club during the 2000s, although their impact in this decade was limited by early departures. Heem, on the other hand, played a Christian Wade-like role for Worcester and even when they were outmanned, he was a constant threat to score, or at least make something happen, from anywhere on the pitch.
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- Alex Grove
Wynand Olivier made his presence felt later in the decade, although it’s tough to leave out as committed a performer for the club as Grove. The Scottish international, like Pennell, was another to stick with the club through tough times and was unlucky not to win more than the three Scotland caps he did.
- Ryan Mills
What a signing Mills has been for Worcester. Injuries disrupted his early years at Gloucester but since making the move to Sixways he has been arguably one of the standout players in the Premiership over that period. His name is frequently brought up in England conversation, particularly when the topic turns to move Owen Farrell to ten and trying to fill the vacant spot at inside centre.
- Josh Adams
Mentions for Tom Biggs and Sam Smith, though Adams’ impact at Worcester was significant. Alongside Heem, the Welshman formed a clinical pairing on the wing and the duo frequently kept Worcester in games that they would otherwise have been left behind in. Many of the losing and try bonus points that kept Worcester safe in recent years came down to Adams and Heem.
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- Duncan Weir
One of the big differences between those seasons when the club were battling against relegation and this one where they have pushed up the table has been the stabilising presence of Weir. The Scottish fly-half has come in and improved Worcester’s tactical play and game management, as well as proving conducive to their more ambitious moments with the ball in hand.
- Francois Hougaard
A special mention for Jonny Arr for his years of service to the club, but Hougaard is one of the more influential players in the entire Premiership and his arrival from the Bulls in 2016 was a real coup. His vision for space and acceleration around the fringes is usually good for two or three breaks a game, while he is also able to alleviate pressure with an effective kicking game.
- Val Rapava-Ruskin
The Tbilisi native just sees off the final few years of Matt Mullan’s stint at the club, as Rapava-Ruskin began to earn England chatter during his time at Sixways despite the club’s frequently precarious league position. Injuries have prevented him from having quite the same impact so far at Gloucester and the loosehead’s best seasons to date came at Worcester.
- Agustin Creevy
USA international Joe Taufete’e and Aleki Lutui both have valid claims, though Creevy just edges ahead of them, with his willingness to stay with the club in the Greene King IPA Championship particularly noteworthy. The Argentine captain proclaimed himself as one of the best players at his position in the world when he left Worcester to return home to play for the Jaguares.
- Nick Schonert
Another player to have warranted significant England conversations while he has been at Worcester, Schonert has been a stabilising force in the Warriors’ set-piece over the past five years. Having already qualified for England, his status as an EQP only adds to his value at Worcester as the club have lost a number of their homegrown academy products over the past decade.
- Craig Gillies
One of the few players to have made more appearances for Worcester than Pennell, Gillies’ time at Worcester came to an end in 2013 and although the majority of his time at the club came in the previous decade, he still provided the club with plenty of positives from 2010 to 2013.
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- Donncha O’Callaghan
A number of other locks deserve mention, including Will Spencer, James Percival and Darren Barry, although O’Callaghan is another who can be grouped in with Heem, Adams and Hougaard as having been influential in keeping Worcester in the Premiership. The veteran Irishman provided much-needed leadership in the pack and the fresh environment seemed to turn back the clock and provide him with a new lease of life.
- Mike Williams
Mentions for Marco Mama and Neil Best, but perhaps no player reached the heights during this decade that Williams did. It ultimately earned him lucrative moves to Leicester Tigers and Bath. He was at his most impactful during his time at Worcester, though, where his powerful ball-carrying and tackling proved decisive plenty of times.
- Matt Kvesic
One of the harder calls in this XV, Sam Lewis has run Kvesic all the way and you could make valid claims for either player. Kvesic left for Gloucester in order to further his claims for an England jersey and although that move didn’t work out quite as well as he would have liked, it does not diminish the breakdown influence he was able to wield at Sixways, with fans up and down the country proclaiming him as Neil Back’s true successor at openside.
- Gerrit-Jan van Velze
With Leonardo Senatore, Phil Dowson and Kai Horstmann, Worcester have not lacked for influential No8s, but van Velze’s impact largely goes under the radar. The South African has been a stabilising presence for Warriors at the base of the scrum and while he may not be as dynamic as the likes of Billy Vunipola or Zach Mercer, his consistency cannot be questioned.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Lets compare apples with apples. Lyon sent weak team the week before, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Give the South African teams a few years to build their depth, then you will be moaning that the teams are too strong.
41 Go to commentsDid footballs agents also perform the scout role at some time? I’m surprised more high profile players haven’t taken up the occupation, great way to remain in the game and use all that experience without really requiring a lot of specific expertise?
1 Go to commentsSuper rugby is struggling but that has little to do with sabbaticals. 1. Too many teams from Aust and NZ - should be 3 and 4 respectively, add in 2 from Japan, 1 possibly 2 from Argentina. 2. Inconsistent and poor refereeing, admittedly not restricted to Super rugby. Only one team was reffed at the breakdown in Reds v H’Landers match. Scrum penalty awarded in Canes v Drua when No 8 had the ball in the open with little defence nearby - ideal opportunity to play advantage. Coming back to Reds match - same scrum situation but ref played advantage - Landers made 10 yards and were penalised at the breakdown when the ref should have returned to scrum penalty. 3. Marketing is weak and losing ground to AFL and NRL. Playing 2 days compared with 4. 4. Scheduling is unattractive to family attendance. Have any franchises heard of Sundays 2pm?
10 Go to commentsAbsolutely..all they need is a chance in yhe playoffs and I bet all the other teams will be nervous…THEY KNOW HOW TO WIN IM THE PLAYOFFS..
2 Go to commentsI really hope he comes back and helps out with some coaching.
1 Go to commentsI think we are all just hoping that the Olympic 7s doesn’t suffer the same sad fate as the last RWC with the officials ruining the spectacle.
1 Go to commentsPersonally, I’ve lost the will to even be bothered about the RFU, the structure, the participants. It’s all a sham. I now simply enjoy getting a group of friends together to go and watch a few games a year in different locations (including Europe, the championship, etc). I feel extremely sorry for the real fans of these clubs who are constantly ignored by the RFU and other administrators. I feel especially sorry for the fans of clubs in the Championship who have had considerable central funding stripped away and are then expected to just take whatever the RFU put to them. Its all a sham, especially if the failed clubs are allowed to return.
9 Go to commentsI’m guessing Carl Hayman would have preferred to have stayed in NZ with benefit of hindsight. Up north there is the expectation to play twice as many games with far less ‘player management’ protocols that Paul is now criticising. Less playing through concussions means longer, healthier, careers. Carter used as the eg here by Paul, his sabbatical allowed him to play until age 37. OK its not an exact science but there is far more expectations on players who sign for Top 14 or Engl Prem clubs to get value for the huge salaries. NZR get alot wrong but keeping their best players in NZ rugby is not one of them. SA clubs are virtually devoid of their top players now, no thanks. They cant threaten the big teams in the Champions Cup, the squads have little depth. Cant see Canes/Chiefs struggling. Super has been great this year, fantastic high skill matches. Drua a fantastic addition and Jaguares will add another quality team eventually. Aus teams performing strongly and no doubt will benefit with the incentive of a Lions tour and a home RWC. Let Jordie enjoy his time with Leinster, it will allow the opportunity for another player to emerge at Canes in his absence.
10 Go to commentsLove that man, his way to despise angry little men is so funny ! 😂
4 Go to comments“South African franchises would be powerhouses if we had all our overseas based players back in situ. We would have the same unbeatable aura the Toulouses, Leinsters or Saracens of this world have had over the last decade or so.” Proof that Jake white does not understand the economics of the game in SA. Players earning abroad are not going to simply come back and represent the bulls. But they might if they have a springbok contract.
22 Go to commentsA lot of fans just joined in for the fun of it! We all admire O'Gara and what he has done for La Rochelle
4 Go to commentsThe RFU will find a way to mess this up as usual. My bet is there will be no promotion into the the Premiership, only relegation into National League One. Hopefully they won’t parachute failed clubs into the league at the expense of clubs who have battled for promotion.
9 Go to commentsWell that’s the contracts for RG and Jordie bought and paid for. Now, what are the chances we can persuade Antoine to hop over with all the extra dosh we’ll have from living at the Aviva & Croke next season…??? 🤑🤑🤑
34 Go to commentsWow, that’s incredible. Great for rugby.
34 Go to commentsYou probably read that parling is going to coach the wallaby lineout but if not before now you have.
14 Go to commentsIf someone like Leo Cullen was in O’Gara’s place I don’t hear Boo-ing. It’s not just that La Rochelle has hurt Leinster and O’Gara is their Irish boss. It’s the needle that he brings and the pantomime activity before the game around pretending that Munster were supporting LaRochelle just because O’Gara is from Cork. That’s dividing Irish provinces just to get an advantage for his French Team. He can F*ck right off with that. BOOOOO! (but not while someone is lying injured)
4 Go to commentsDid the highlanders party too hard before the game? They were the pits.
1 Go to commentsWhat a player! Not long until he’s in the England side, surely?
5 Go to commentsHe seems to have the same aura as Marcus Smith - by which I mean he’s consistently judged as if he’s several years younger than he actually is. Mngomezulu has played 24 times for the Stormers. When Pollard was his age he had played 24 times for South Africa! He has more time to develop, but he has also had time to do some developing already, and he hasn’t demonstrated nearly as much talent in that time as one would expect. If he is a generational talent, then it must be a pretty poor generation.
6 Go to commentsThe greatest Springbok coach of all time is entirely on the money. Rassie and Jacques have given the south african public a great few years, but the success of the springbok selection policy will need to be judged in light of what comes next. The poor condition that the provincial system is currently in doesn’t bode well for the next few years of international rugby, and the insane 2026 schedule that the Boks have lined up could also really harm both provincial and international consistency.
22 Go to comments