Why the Autumn Nations Cup could change perceptions about Worcester
Alan Solomons is predicting a quartet of Worcester players will be in action in the opening round of the inaugural Autumn Nations Cup, a level of representation that will help change perceptions about the Gallagher Premiership club.
Previously, Worcester only gained England recognition through Ben Te’o, the former rugby league centre whose appearances for the Premiership club were limited by injury and Test call-ups.
Scotland back row Dave Denton left Worcester to join Leicester in 2018, Wales wing Josh Adams, headed over the Severn Bridge to join the Dragons while Joe Taufete’e, the USA hooker who holds the world record for tries in that position, is now playing for Lyon.
However, Worcester have home-grown stars Ollie Lawrence and club captain Ted Hill on course to appear for England against Georgia on Saturday at Twickenham while Duncan Weir and Cornell du Preez are in the Scotland squad to play Italy.
Solomons, the club’s vastly experienced director of rugby, is adamant Worcester have the ability to deliver Test-class talent from its academy system, viewing Hill and Lawrence as the point men in proving you do not need to move to a higher profile Premiership outfit to catch the eye of international coaches.
This lid is going to catch the eye this weekend ???? https://t.co/DSmBiJvQpT
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 10, 2020
“I’m hoping that Ollie Lawrence and Ted Hill will be involved for England against Georgia. That would be fantastic, with Duncan Weir and Cornell du Preez playing for Scotland. Duncan has shown good form for us and now gets that opportunity with Scotland. Playing for Worcester in the Premiership has been recognised with both of those guys called up by Gregor Townsend,” said Solomons.
“There are certain perceptions (about the club) but having two of our home-grown lads Ollie and Ted coming through is a great boost for the club and our young players. We want home-grown players at the core of the club and the more with international experience the better. When they come back into camp they add real value.”
The new Premiership season kicks off on November 20. With a national lockdown in place in England, that means empty stadiums and no gate income, a situation which mirrors the conclusion of last season.
As a result, there are continuing concerns over the financial viability of clubs in the English top-flight if crowds are not allowed back into matches, while the second-tier Championship is still waiting to discover if it will have a January start.
Worcester’s final game of last season was cancelled due to positive tests among the Sale squad and the threat of further disruption remains despite Solomons’ upbeat message. “The news we are getting about the vaccine is putting everyone in a very positive frame of mind,” he said.
“I’m no expert but the vaccine looks very promising from what everyone is saying. I am being an optimist and by the spring things will be back to normal and we will have crowds back. There has been so much written about the vaccine to make me confident.
“The experience of last season has been invaluable going forward and apart of the last game with Sale, there were no hiccups. As we haven’t played for five weeks, to have a hit out against Northampton on Friday is positive before the start of the new season.
“I have been involved with professional rugby since 1997 and have never seen a season like the one we are going to play, but we have never had a pandemic like this and so it is unchartered waters and it is important we play to keep clubs financially viable. We have to make that sacrifice just as so many people have done.”
Stirring the pot https://t.co/xRChAOEj15
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) November 10, 2020
Comments on RugbyPass
It was a pleasure to watch those guys playing with such confidence. That trio can all be infuriating for different reasons and I can see why Jones might have decided against them. No way to justify leaving Ikitau out though. Jorgensen and him were both scheduled to return at the same time. Only one of them plays for Randwick and has a dad who is great mates with the national coach though.
53 Go to commentsBrayden Iose and Peter Lakai are very exciting Super Rugby players but are too short and too light to ever be a Test 8 vs South Africa, France, Ireland, and England, Lakai could potentially be a Test player at 7 if he is allowed to focus on 7 for Hurricanes.
5 Go to commentsPencils “Thomas du Toit” into possible 2027 Bok squad.
1 Go to commentsDon’t see why Harrison makes the bench. Jones can play at 10 if needed, and there is a good case for starting her there to begin with if testing combinations. That would leave room for Sing on the bench
1 Go to commentsWhat a load of old bull!
1 Go to commentsOf the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.
29 Go to commentsIrish Rugby CEO be texting Andy Farrell “Andy, i found our next Kiwi Irishman”
5 Go to commentsI certainly don’t miss drinking beers at 8am in the morning watching rugby games being played in NZ.
1 Go to commentsThis looks like a damage limitation exercise for Wales, keeping back some of their more effective players for the last 20/25 minutes to try and counter England’s fresh legs so the Red Roses don’t rack up a big score.
1 Go to commentsVery unlikely the Bulls will beat Leinster in Dublin. It would be different in Pretoria.
1 Go to commentsI think it is a dangerous path to go down to ban a player for the same period that a player they injured takes to recover. Players would be afraid to tackle anyone. I once tackled my best friend at school in a practice match and sprained his ankle. I paid for it by having to play fly-half instead of full-back for the rest of that season’s fixtures.
5 Go to commentsJust such a genuine good bloke…and probably the best all round player in his generation. Good guys do come first sometimes and he handled the W.Cup loss with great attitude.
2 Go to commentsWord in France is that he’s on the radar of a few Top14 clubs.
5 Go to commentsGet blocking Travis, this guy has styles and he’s gonna make a swift impact…!
1 Go to commentsWhat remorse? She claimed that her dangerous tackle wasn’t worthy of a red! She should be compensating the injured player for loss of earnings at the minimum. Her ban should include the recovery time of the injured player as well as the paltry 3 match ban.
5 Go to commentsArdie is a legend. Finished and klaar. Two things: “Yeah, yeah, I have had a few conversations with Razor just around feedback on my game and what I am doing well, what I need to improve on or work-ons. It’s kind of been minimal, mate, but it’s all that I need over here in terms of how to be better, how to get better and what I am doing well.” I hope he’s downplaying it - and that it’s not that “minimal”. The amount of communication and behind the scenes preparation the Bok coaches put into players - Rassie and co would be all over Ardie and being clear on what is expected of him. This stands out for me as something teams should really be looking at in terms of the boks success from a coaching point of view. And was surprised by the comment - “minimal”. In terms of the “debate” around Ireland and South Africa. Nice one Ardie. Indeed. There’s no debate.
2 Go to commentsThere’s a bit of depth there but realistically Australian players have a long way to go to now catch up. The game is moving on fast and Australia are falling behind. Australian sides still don’t priories the breakdown like they should, it’s a non-negotiable if you want to compete on the international stage. That goes for forwards and backs. The Australian team could have a back row that could make a difference but the problem is they don’t have a tight five that can do the business. Tupou is limited in defence, overweight and unfit and the locks are a long way from international standard. Frost is soft and Salakai-Loto is too small so that means they need a Valentini at 8 who has to do the hard graft so limits the effectiveness of the backrow. Schmidt really needs to get a hard working, tough tight 5 if he wants to get this team firing.
3 Go to commentsSorry Morgan you must have been the “go to for a quote” ex player this week. Its rnd 6 and there is plenty of time to cement a starting 15 and finishing 8 so I have no such concerns.
2 Go to commentsGreat read. I wish you had done this article on the ROAR.
2 Go to commentsThe current AB coaching team is basically the Crusaders so it smacks of wanting their familiar leaders around. This is not a good look for the future of the ABs or the younger players in Super working their way up the player ladder. Razor is touted as innovative, forward looking but his early moves look like insecurity and insular, provincial thinking. He is the AB's coach not the Golden Oldies.
10 Go to comments