THERE was plenty of good news for Worcester fans this week after the announcement of the various international squads for the forthcoming Six Nations matches.

Pat Sanderson has once again received the rightful recognition for his towering performances at club level -- even if they have been in short supply due to his recent back problems.

And Shane Drahm has been rewarded for some mightily impressive performances at outside-half. Even at 29, he still has the opportunity to carve out an international career. Australia's loss could be England's gain.

Thankfully for Warriors supporters, the two England 'A' fixtures which Drahm is in line for do not conflict with club matches.

If Sanderson can beat off some stiff competition from the likes of Lawrence Dallaglio, Joe Worsley and Magnus Lund for a place in Andy Robinson's final 22 then Warriors will have to prepare for a number of significant games without their inspirational skipper.

While the Sixways faithful can bristle with pride at two of their own being honoured on the international stage, a few will be quietly thankful about the ones who got away.

Plenty of people in the know have been tipping Craig Gillies for England and Drew Hickey for Ireland.

While their selection would have been richly-deserved, it could have cost Warriors dearly -- especially in the line-out.

Gillies wins more line-out ball than just about any player in the country and when the ball doesn't come to him it is invariably scooped by Hickey at the back of the line.

The number eight's accent is as Australian as Drahm's but he qualifies for the Emerald Isle through his father.

Hickey has been Worcester's most consistent performer among the forwards this season and his omission from Eddie O'Sullivan's squad -- while it's a pity for Irish fans -- could work out very nicely for his club.

Another man who would have hoped to be involved in the Six Nations campaign is Andy Gomarsall, who was on stand-by for the autumn Test Series.

It will be a massive disappointment for the 31-year-old to miss out and the emergence of a trio of young scrum-halves is going to make it tough for him to force his way back into the picture.

The former Gloucester scrum-half took a while to win over the fans when he arrived at Sixways, but his impact on the pitch should not be underestimated.

Gomarsall has started 11 games in all competitions this season and has been on the winning side in all but three, with the exceptions being away matches at Wasps, Leicester and Sale -- incidentally the three best teams in the land.

Of the nine games that Gomarsall has sat out or started on the replacements bench, Warriors have won just two -- at Amatori Catania and at home to Connacht, not exactly the most severe of opponents.

While it would be foolish to read too much into these statistics, it's not hard to come to the conclusion that when Gomarsall plays, or at least starts, Warriors tend to win.

So his absence from the England squad may not be such a bad thing when you consider that Worcester will be lining up against Sale, Leeds and his former club Wasps on weekends corresponding to England's matches.

He will be desperate to prove Robinson wrong and, in doing so, could just inspire Warriors to some more unexpected wins in the not-too-distant future.