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Thompson eyeing return after World Cup Final red card
63 days after receiving a red card in the Rugby World Cup final, England winger Lydia Thompson could finally suit up for her Worcester Warriors again in this weekend’s Allianz Premier 15s clash.
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The 47-cap international has been serving a three-match ban following her high tackle on New Zealand’s Portia Woodman. The 30-year-old appeared before an independent judicial committee nine days after the World Cup final, where she accepted the red card as fair and therefore faced a suspension with a minimum mid-range entry point of six matches.
That tally was reduced to three matches after the committee decided Thompson was entitled to the full mitigation available.
The collision left Woodman with a concussion and the Black Ferns star has since admitted to having no memory of the game at all.
Thompson didn’t make any public comments on the incident but her coach Simon Middleton was inevitably asked about it at the game’s post-match press conference.
“She’s pretty upset as you can imagine,” Middleton said. “But you know Lydia is one of the best pros and one of the most beautiful people you will ever meet.
“So, she’s devastated, and she’s devastated for what happened to Portia as well, because they’ve had some unbelievable clashes between them over the last five, six, 10 years and that was taken away from the game, and neither one of them would have wanted that.
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“It’s just unfortunate, there’s no malice in it, it’s a clash of heads and it took possibly two of the best players in the world out of the game. But yeah, she’s pretty devastated about it, but she’ll be alright, we’ll get around her tonight like we’ll get around all the other players who are pointing the finger at themselves.
“There’s no fingers to be pointed at anybody; we came together, stand together, fall together. We’re definitely going to celebrate together.”
Having missed the opening three matches of 2023, Thompson’s return will be a significant boost for the Warriors as the team currently sits seventh on the Premier 15s table having won two of their five games this season.
The Worcester side will be looking to bounce back from a 52-5 loss to table-topping Gloucester-Hartpury, facing the bottom-of-the-table DMP Sharks.
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The Warriors’ backs coach Sian Moore commented on the star wingers’ potential return.
“Lydia has been training fantastically,” Moore said on BBC Hereford and Worcester’s ‘Worcester Warriors Podcast’. “She has been professional throughout her ban and we have worked very closely with her.”
“Fingers crossed we should be able to see her in a Worcester shirt for the first time this season on Saturday.”
Comments on RugbyPass
Except for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
33 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
33 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
33 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
33 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
33 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
33 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
1 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
33 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
17 Go to commentsNot good to hear Ulster described as “financially troubled”. Did not think it was getting to that level. I would hope the Irish system of spreading players of talent away from Leinster would kick in now. Better to have a Leinster fringe player with Ulster or Connacht, then getting only a few games a season in Dublin. 10, for example, would seem to be a case for spreading the talent. I would not be at all adverse to a SA man coming in as head coach/DR. Ludeke is worth trying. Certainly got a long and impressive coaching career at this level…..149 games in SR, then Japan, 30 years experience. And Ulster’s ledger of successful SA coaches and players is on the positive side. Is talk of Ruan Pienaar interested in coming back as a coach…..could be a good combination with Ludeke. And Pienaar and family would have no settling in to do, one would judge. He loved life in Ulster when there, by all reports.
1 Go to commentsSome thoughts to consider here, Sam. Thanks
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