IF you want to avoid injury watercolour painting could be a suitable past-time.

Crochet should also be safe enough with a decent thimble and a steady eye.

But those who choose to play rugby know the bumps and bruises are inevitable in a game of attrition.

There's no avoiding it, players put their bodies on the line every Saturday afternoon .

The modern high-speed game increases the risk, but Worcester's squad can count themselves unlucky with their lot this season.

The tale of woe began within 18 minutes of the new campaign starting when winger Paul Holford limped off with an ankle injury.

In the following weeks ribs nave been bashed, shoulders cracked, tendons torn culminating in an extremely painful broken leg for Richard Tomlinson against Rugby.

It has left the squad of players looking like soldiers returning from the Somme -- but help is never far away at Sixways.

Physiotherapist Nel Porteous part of a team dedicated to soothing the strains and preparing players for a quick return to action.

The 33-year-old has been with the club for nine seasons and came well prepared to combine her Florence Nightingale role at Worcester with working at Droitwich Knee Clinic.

Born in Liverpool, she trained at the city's University and had her first taste of high profile sport treating Wigan's Rugby League stars.

She then moved south but continued her studies and now has a masters degree in sports medicine from Manchester Metropolitan University.

''When I first started working here it was more of a social thing but it has just grown and grown,'' she said.

''I started out in a little mud-filled room at the back of the old first team changing room.

''At first I just helped out on match days but now I do around 20 hours at the club as well as Saturday's.''

Ankle and hamstring troubles top the list, but there have also been plenty of more serious injuries too. ''Whenever a player gets a bad injury I feel sorry for him or her but I'm also thinking 'Oh no not again,'' she added.

''But what has happened to Rich Tomlinson and James Lofthouse is part of rugby.

''The players are taking bigger hits now they play at a higher level it's the little niggles which are more annoying.''

She believes more time spent with the players could reduce the number of niggling injuries with improved warm-up and warm-down regimes.

But alongside the first team, club physios are responsible for all of the club's dozens of players which can lead to long queues outside the treatment room.

On a Thursday evening, marathon six-hour sessions are frequent.

''It's completely different to Gloucester's set-up because they just concentrated on the first team,'' said full-back Tim Smith who claims to need treatment every day.

''The treatment room is like a sixth form common room and all the players, injured or not, turn up for a chat and a laugh.''

So maybe life on the sick list is not all bad news at Sixways!

Monday, November 2, 1998.