By Peter Snow's Swingometer
November 26 2004

London Wasps play at Worcester Warriors's Sixways ground in the first ever Zurich Premiership match between the two clubs. We're no strangers to Sixways, though, having played two friendlies there in the previous four seasons. Since then Worcester have finally managed to throw off their National One shackles. Having escaped the thorny shadows of the white roses of Rotherham and Leeds at long last, this season they can set about fulfilling Cecil Duckworth's multi-million pound vision of bringing top quality rugby football to the Malverns region.

It has been a long, hard slog for Worcester to reach the dizzy heights of the Zurich Premiership, and they're not about to let it slip lightly. Two convincing wins, one a home drubbing of Harlequins, and the other one only last weekend at miserable Franklin's Gardens have steadied the nerves. Four losing bonuses have helped the Warriors keep pace with the two teams they've beaten. Quins and Saints are the teams with frayed nerves!

How have Worcester managed to gain a foothold in their virginal Premiership season, when Rotherham failed to muster so much as a whimper last term? Planning and persuasion were the keynotes. Rotherham were kept on tenterhooks for two seasons awaiting approval for their promotion. When it did come, Roth had missed the boat as far as recruitment was concerned. This time round, Worcester had planned ahead and persuaded several top-flight players to join Duckworth's revolution.

The Warriors squad consists of a gritty mix of old heads and international incomers, following captain, Pat Sanderson's lead. And on the bench is an old friend in Paul Sampson. Sammo will be relishing the chance to put one over the champions of England and Europe, as will his team-mates. Of Worcester's ex-academic Wasps, Will Wigram has moved on and Jon Hylton is out with a broken leg.

Just over seven years ago to this day Sammo was in Worcester with our under-21 squad. A glance down the team sheet reveals other noteworthy "youngsters":

Hurst, Hart, Sampson, Wyatt, Seal, Blaize, Lamb, Gunn, Coulson, Conway, Le Chavalier, Alexopoulos, Knight-Bernard, Cano, McConnell, Beardshaw, Winterbottom, Carnham, Worsley, Volley, Ions, Evans. What ever happened to Volley and Worsley? The Hart of 1997 was in fact Hart the elder brother. Small world.

This is what Nigel Melville said on Monday 24 November, 1997: "This an exciting chance for all the players of a similar age to play together, as many are in different sides week in week out. We're taking all our under 21 squad, which is a very exciting squad and which will form the basis of the Wasps squad of the future. We looked at the development team, which is doing very well and is top of their league, but when you take all our development players out of all the other sides, first team , Vandals etc, there is a great group of players."

Seven years is half a lifetime in professional terms. All bar Worsley have moved on. Two season later we opened our season with a rusty 31-19 friendly first team victory and last season we took a strong squad and lost (15 Tom Voyce; 14 Shane Roiser, 13 Fraser Waters, 12 Mark Denney, 11 John Rudd; 10 Mark Van Gisbergen, 9 Rob Howley (Capt.); 1 Tim Payne, 2 Ben Gotting, 3 Sean Phillips, 4 George Skivington, 5 Richard Birkett, 6 Ian Clarke, 7 Paul Volley, 8 Peter Scrivener. Bench: 16 Peter Richards, 17 Jonny Barrett, 18 Mark Lock, 19 Jonny O’Connor, 20 Tom French, 21 Martin Purdy, 22 Craig Dowd, 23 Mike Roberts, 24 Rob Laird, 25 John Hart, 26 Phil Greening).

So Wasps should not take Worcester lightly this time. Despite Warren Gatland's wise decision to rest some key players -- notably Matt Dawson, Lawrence Dallaglio and Richard Birkett -- Stuart Abbott makes a welcome return at centre. He'll be content to step for now, leaving the hard sprinting for Ayoola Erinle and the back three.

John Hart inherits Dallaglio's mantle at blindside. Wasps' young backrowers will need to make as much hard yardage as their international brothers if we are to take the game to Worcester. Tonight, we are seeing our future in action.

Wasps' being undefeated for ten games means that Worcester won't relax their guard either. Newcomers versus champions it may be, in reality it shall be the unbowed versus the indomitables.

The old Swingometer scents another close win for the champs, Wasps by six.

Worcester: 15 Thinus Delport; 14 Daren O’Leary, 13 Dale Rasmussen, 12 Thomas Lombard, 11 Giscard Pieters; 10 Tommy Hayes, 9 Matt Powell; 1 Tony Windo, 2 Ben Daly, 3 Chris Horsman, 4 Tim Collier, 5 Craig Gillies, 6 Siaosi Vaili, 7 Pat Sanderson (Capt.), 8 Drew Hickey

Bench: 16 Steve Sparks, 17 Andre Van Niekerk, 18 Neil Lyman, 19 Brad Macleod-Henderson, 20 Neil Cole, 21 Gary Trueman, 22 Paul Sampson.

London Wasps: 15 Mark Van Gisbergen; 14 Edd Thrower, 13 Ayoola Erinle, 12 Stuart Abbott, 11 Tom Voyce; 10 Alex King, 9 Peter Richards; 1 Craig Dowd, 2 Ben Gotting, 3 Will Green, 4 Simon Shaw, 5 George Skivington, 6 John Hart (Capt.), 7 Tom Rees, 8 James Haskell

Bench: 16 Phil Greening, 17 Henry Nwume, 18 Mark Lock, 19 Lawrence Dallaglio, 20 Harvey Biljon, 21 James Brooks, 22 Rob Hoadley.

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