What Thomas came away with after first conversation with Diamond
It’s for sure going to be a situation to watch unfold with intrigue, the appointment by Worcester of the no-nonsense Steve Diamond until the end of this season as their new lead rugby consultant operating above rookie head coach Jonathan Thomas and below director of rugby Alan Solomons. Sparks could well fly. As it stands, with Diamond only set to start work next Monday, all is very much sweetness and light.
The ex-Sale director of rugby has broken bread with Thomas, the pair meeting in person and also holding a number of phone conversations as they lay the groundwork for the remaining winter months and beyond. Publicly, Thomas is portraying an enthusiastic reaction to the appointment.
Diamond’s reputation as a “refreshingly honest and direct” operator are characteristics that the ex-Wales Test back-rower has enjoyed across both his playing and early days coaching career, interacting with names such as Shaun Edwards, Warren Gatland and Pat Lam. And the early impression that Thomas has had off the back of his initial Diamond conversations has left him “really excited” about the coming weeks and months ahead. Only time will tell, though, the success or otherwise of this newly concocted partnership.
In the eyes of Thomas, nothing has changed about the role he has been doing at Worcester since his promotion last January to head coach after he was initially recruited during the 2020 lockdown by Solomons from Bristol to be the defence coach. He quickly oversaw a massive overhaul to the playing roster, some 20-plus players exiting last summer and a whole heap of new recruits arriving in.
However, results have been difficult to come, the Warriors winning just two of the 21 Gallagher Premiership matches they have played with Thomas as their main man and the club has now acted, bringing in another layer of expertise by way of Diamond who will pick up the thread following this weekend’s away game at Newcastle.
It was February 2020 when Chris Ashton and Steve Diamond had a major falling out at Sale… and Diamond is set to now start work at Worcester next Monday#Warriors #Sharks #GallagherPrem
https://t.co/0oK86oKdSR— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 23, 2021
How, though, did the need for Diamond at Worcester emerge and who made the first move? “Listen, I have got no idea, I don’t know the answer to that question,” said Thomas when quizzed by RugbyPass at his weekly media briefing. “All I do know is I was reporting to Alan and the owners and that was a private discussion that they had, but in terms of how it came about, I can’t answer that.
“Myself and Steve have got some mutual friends, all of whom speak highly of him, but in terms of personal interactions, no (we don’t know each other). Obviously, I coached against him, but no I haven’t had any personal interactions (until now)… In the short term, he will stay down a few days a week. Steve’s appointment is until the end of the season and decisions will be made in due course.”
It was last December when new Worcester recruit Diamond opted out at Sale after a lengthy stint in charge, a need to recharge the batteries at the core of that decision which was made after some bereavements in his family. How has he bounced back? “He had a real spring in his step when I met him,” confirmed Thomas.
“The thing I came away with from the conversation I had with Steve was he has done his due diligence on the club and he recognises that there is a lot of good people, players and staff, at the club and he recognises there is a lot of good work going on and the biggest thing he said to me is with his experience he feels he can come in and add value.
“Listen, the margins are small between success and failure. It is never huge and sometimes it is the variety and I guess the diverse characters that go into the melting pot that can help the whole and Steve can bring an approach and experience that can add value to Worcester.”
It was the recruitment of a planeload of South African players that eventually added steel to Sale and helped them up the Premiership table to where they are now a club annually contending to make the playoffs. Might that be a tactic Diamond will try and repeat at Worcester?
“Do you want me to answer that? Listen, Steve isn’t in through the door yet so around recruitment he will definitely have input but in terms of our strategy around recruitment, there is not going to be wholesale changes for next season around what we are trying to achieve.
"There are 20 players leaving the club at the end of the season… that has certainly been really tough, some tough conversations"
@JonThom82 on the work behind the scenes & the hard calls needed as they rebuild @WorcsWarriors squad, writes @heagneyl ???https://t.co/gjCIa18pmc
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) May 9, 2021
“In terms of the value you can have in those discussions, myself and Steve along with Alan, we will have those discussions in the next few weeks and behind the scenes, there is already work being done around that. We have got a recruitment analyst in Simon Norris so there is already a lot of work that is going on and Steve coming in is going to be a great asset to assist in that process.
“Every club is different, the dynamic around every club is different so what works for one club doesn’t mean it will work for another club so Steve, when I spoke to him, was very respectful of what is going on and he will come in and just add value to the existing process that is already in place.”
Across the last ten months, Thomas has developed a reputation as an insightful rugby person at his media briefings, talking at length and keenly promoting the Worcester message. He insists the mechanics of his role as head coach on the Sixways shop floor hasn’t changed, that he is still responsible for the preparation of the team, the coaching programme and managing and leading the rugby department with the only difference being that he will now report to somebody different (Diamond and not Solomons).
Will he, though, continue to be the voice of the club or will Diamond feel the urge to court the media and start hosting the weekly Worcester briefings? “We haven’t had any discussions on that. Our strategy around media and our approach is a process that is ongoing and it is a discussion in terms of how we develop and how we deal with you guys is always something we are discussing behind the scenes.
“That is something, along with all other aspects of the rugby programme and the behind the scenes recruitment, our identity, all of those things are always ongoing. That is something that will be discussed at another time.”
Comments on RugbyPass
It 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.
25 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 🤐
13 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….
25 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….
13 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….
80 Go to commentsNo surprise there. How hard can it be to pick a ball off the ground and chuck it to a mate? 😂
2 Go to commentsSometimes people just like a moan mate!
1 Go to commentsexcellent idea ! rugby needs this 💪
13 Go to comments9 Brumbies! What a joke! The best performing team in Oz! Ditch Skelton for Swain or Neville. Ryan Lonergan ahead of McDermott any day! Best selection bolter is Toole … amazing player
12 Go to commentsI like this, but ultimately rugby already has enough trophies. Trying to make more games “consequential" might prove to be a fools errand, although this is a less bad idea than some others. Minor quibble with the title of the article; it isn’t very meaningful to say the boks are the unofficial world champions when it would be functionally impossible for the Raeburn trophy not to be held by the world champions. There’s a period of a few months every 4 years when there is no “unofficial” world champion, and the Raeburn trophy is held by the actual world champions.
13 Go to commentsIts a great idea but one that I dont think will have a lot of traction. It will depend on the prestige that they each hold but if you can do that it would be great. When Japan beat the Boks (my team) I was absolutely devestated but I wont deny the great game they played that day. We were outclassed and it was one of the best games of rugby I have seen. Using an idea like this you might just give the the underdog teams more of an opportunity to beat the big teams and I can absolutely see it being a brilliant display of rugby. They beat us because they planned for that game. It was a great moment for Japan. This way we can remove the 4 year wait and give teams something to aim for outside of World Cup years.
13 Go to commentsHi, Dave here. Happy to answer questions 🥰
13 Go to commentsDon’t think that headline is accurate. It’s great to see Aus doing better but I’m not sure they’ve shown much threat to the top of the table. They shouldn’t be inflating wins against the lousy Highlanders and Crusaders either.
3 Go to commentsSuch a shame Roigard and Aumua picked up long term injuries, probably the two form players in the comp. Also, pretty sure Clarke Dermody isn’t their coach. Got it half right though.
3 Go to commentsOh the Aussie media, they never learn. At least Andrew Kellaway is like “Woah, yeah it’s great, but settle down there guys” having endured years of the Aussie media, fans, and often their players getting ahead of themselves only to fall flat on their faces. Have the “We'll win the Bledisloe for sure this year!” headlines started yet? It’s simple to see what’s going on. The Aussie teams are settled, they didn't lose any of their major players overseas. The Crusaders and Chiefs lost key experienced All Blacks, and Razor in the Crusaders case, and clearly neither are anywhere near as strong as last year (The Canes and Blues would probably be 3rd & 4th if they were). The Highlanders are annually average, even more so post-Aaron Smith and a big squad clean out. The two teams at the top? The two nz sides with largely the same settled roster as last year, except Ardie Savea for the Canes. They’ve both got far better coaches now too. If the Aussies are going to win the title, this is the year the kiwi sides will be weakest, so they better take their chance.
3 Go to commentsThe World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
13 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
44 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to comments