'We wouldn't be going down if there was relegation, not a chance'
Steve Diamond has insisted that if there was relegation in place at the end of the current 2021/22 Gallagher Premiership season, the Worcester team he inherited mid-campaign would not be in the 13th and last spot heading into Saturday’s final match. The Warriors are bottom of the pile on 30 points and preparing to host the twelfth place Bath at Sixways this weekend with three points separating the teams.
Eleventh place Newcastle, who are due at playoff-chasing Northampton, are also on 33 points but with no relegation happening this year and none planned for until summer 2024 when the bottom club in the Premiership will playoff against the top side in the Championship, this weekend’s final round of matches have been robbed of the drama and anxiety traditionally associated with the drop.
Diamond believes in the concept of promotion and relegation and while he is comfortable that there the pressure of going down isn’t associated with their game against Bath, he claimed Worcester would not be bottom going into this final match if there was relegation as he would have approached his role differently during the campaign.
It was November 29 when Diamond arrived at Worcester as their lead rugby consultant but he was handed control of the first team eight weeks later when head coach Jonathan Thomas departed and it was also confirmed that at the end of the season he would become the director of rugby in place of Alan Solomons for the 2022/23 season onwards.
“I am an advocate of promotion and relegation,” he insisted. “It [no relegation] can engender dead rubber games. If you are trying to grow the sport, nobody wants that. However, there are wiser men than me.
“In America none of the sports have relegation, so let’s see how it goes. Put it this week, I wouldn’t be as relaxed in this conversation with you lot [the media] if we could go down, but if that was the case I don’t think we would be in this position today. If relegation was in force when I got hold of the team we wouldn’t be going down this year, not a chance.”
Would finishing bottom without relegation still dent his pride, though? “It doesn’t bother me, there is no relegation, we won the cup, that’s being perfectly honest but would I heck, nobody wants to finish bottom of the log and the players don’t – the players have got a spirit about them and we proved it a couple of weeks ago (in the Premiership Cup final).
“It hasn’t been the greatest run-in with the time between games but you know what, the beauty is because we have had the time off when we do come back in all our new players will come back in on the same day so there is a positive to that sort of stuff.”
Numerous players are set to exit Worcester after Saturday. “It’s the cycle of life in rugby. A lot of great guys and great players and it just comes to the end unfortunately for whatever reason, moving on, other opportunities, not working here, various things but I have been really impressed with all of the players at Worcester.
“They are all good lads. I don’t think there is a bad ‘un amongst them. I don’t think they have always been led in the right direction over the years but I can hopefully change that a little bit. It has been a pleasure to work with them and let’s hopefully go out in a good fashion on Saturday.
“The supporters have been fantastic and part of the job moving forward is to make them more inclusive to the players and accessible. It [a win] would end what has been a disappointing league season on a high.”
What of fellow strugglers Bath, what has Diamond made of their troubles looking on from Worcester? “If you look at the playing roster it is filled with superstars. I can only talk for Worcester these days but there is obviously something that has not clicked… but I can’t get too far away from looking at ourselves. One minute we flatter and the next minute we are a disaster, so let’s hope that doesn’t happen to us at the weekend.”
Comments on RugbyPass
I bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
19 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
7 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
19 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
9 Go to commentsYes Sir! Surprising, just like Fraser would also have escaped sanction if he was a few inches lower, even if it was by accident that he missed! Has there really been talk about those sanctions or is this just sensational journalism? I stopped reading, so might have missed any notations.
9 Go to commentsAI is only as good as the information put in, the nuances of the sport, what you see out the corner of the eye, how you sum up in a split second the situation, yes the AI is a tool but will not help win games, more likely contribute to a loss, Rugby Players are not robots, all AI can do if offer a solution not the solution. AI will effect many sports, help train better golfers etc.
45 Go to commentsIt couldn’t have been Ryan Crotty. He wasn’t selected in either World Cup side - they chose Money Bill instead. And Money Bill only cared about himself, and that manager he had, not the team.
28 Go to commentsYawn 🥱 nobody would give a hoot about this new trophy. End of the day we just have to beat Ireland and NZ this year then they can finally shut up 🤐
19 Go to commentsTalking bout Ryan Crotty? Heard Crotty say in a interview once that SBW doesen't care about the team . He went on to say that whenever they lost a big game, SBW would be happy as if nothing happened, according to him someone who cares would look down.. Personally I think Crotty is in the wrong, not for feeling gutted but for expecting others 2 be like him… I have been a bad loser forever as it matters so much to me but good on you SBW for being able to see the bigger picture….
28 Go to commentsThis sounds like a WWE idea so Americans can also get excited about rugby, RUGBY NEEDS A INTERNATIONAL CALENDER .. The rugby Championship and Six Nations can be held at same time, top 3 of six nations and top 3 of Rugby championship (6 nations should include Georgia AND another qualifying country while Fiji, Japan and Samoa/Tonga qualifier should make out 6 Southern teams).. Scrap June internationals and year end tours. Have a Elite top six Cup and the Bottom 6 in a secondary comp….
19 Go to commentsThe rugby championship would be even stronger with Fiji in it… I know it doesen’t fit the long term plans of NZ or Aus but you are robbing a whole nation of being able to see their best players play for Fiji…. Every second player in NZ and AUS teams has Fijian surnames… shame on you!!! World rugby won’t step in either as France and England has now also joined in…. I guess where money is involved it will always be the poor countries missing out….
90 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
4 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
9 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
19 Go to comments