VICTORY & OUT?

Warriors show their fighting spirit on the pitch but tomorrow cash crisis could close them down

THE gates were slammed shut at Sixways last night to the clink of victory. When will they reopen? No one really knows.

By 5pm tomorrow, Worcester are set to be suspended from all competitions by the RFU. By midnight tonight, their buildings insurance will expire and the stadium caretaker will be kicked out of his on-site flat.

After this thumping victory over Newcastle, Diamond gathered his group in a huddle on the pitch. Even the chef joined in. The emotion was bubbling. Diamond told them to meet at the Alma pub for a knees up but the beers must have tasted bittersweet.

Their performance was the perfect advert for any potential investors but their future is full of uncertainty. In the grand scheme of things, it was a night to drown their sorrows. Administration is the likely outcome and they must hope that a white knight is just around the corner.

‘Out with a bang, eh?’ said Diamond. ‘Fair play to Newcastle, they probably caught us on a bad day; a lot of emotion running through the team and the crowd.’

Diamond’s management has lit a fire in the belly of a Worcester squad that, before his arrival, were lukewarm at best. Hooker Curtis Langdon swarmed the pitch like an angry wasp, stinging anyone who came near him with the ball. They dominated the scrum and limited Newcastle to one lineout try through George McGuigan.

In attack, they were clinical. Falcons scrum-half Cameron Nordli-Kelemeti was sin-binned and Worcester took advantage. They ran with the ball like there was no tomorrow, with wingers Alex Hearle and Duhan van der Merwe scoring the opening tries.

‘We had a vote on Friday on whether we played or not,’ revealed Diamond. ‘It was virtually unanimous that we played, from the players. I gave them the option not to play. There was a big risk, if we are going into suspension on Monday, but they said, to a man, that the loyalty to the club and the pride that they show for the club, that they were determined to play. That performance mirrored that.

‘They are insured for injury but if the potential buyer doesn’t come in and we go into administration then there’s no rugby left. Thank goodness there were no serious injuries today but, in the game we play, they often happen. We have a real passionate workforce who care about their job and about Worcester — and that’s what I’d be looking at if I were an investor.’

There is unlikely to be a review meeting of this performance. The players have been promised a week off and, if wages are not paid for September, some may not return. They will regroup soon after and Diamond has standby plans to train at a local club. In the meantime, fly-half Billy Searle, who kicked 14 points, says he will be keeping fit at his local Pure Gym.

‘That could be our last game here so we put it all out there,’ said Searle. ‘Look at the facilities and the crowd. This was the best I’ve heard it down here. Everyone wants to stay but there’s only so long you can go with this uncertainty.

‘You never know what boys are going to do. They have got to look after themselves, their family and their kids.

‘I love it here, especially now Steve’s come in. If things get sorted out we’ll be back. It’s up the people above really. We are all in contract. Some boys might have to leave, that’s part and parcel of it if they don’t sort it out soon. Personally I want to stay and I know a lot of boys want to stay. They love it here. It doesn’t sound like we will play next week but let’s see. Hopefully it gets sorted in the next week.’

After 65 minutes, the limited crowd stood to give a round of applause to the staff who have been paid 65 per cent of their salaries. And the players responded, putting Newcastle to the sword with tries from Gareth Simpson, Matt Kvesic and Joe Batley. They secured their first victory of the season with the bonus point, although it is soon expected to be deemed null and void.