IF the nature of sport dictates you can reach the heights before a vertiginous decline, Dave Sims is without doubt the prime example at Worcester.

The former England lock, who celebrates his 32nd birthday later this month, was named player of the year last season after a truly outstanding campaign.

But rather than extending his metronomic qualities into this season, he has found the only consistent factor to be a place on the bench under new coach John Brain.

Brain has opted to pair Martin Morgan with Dan Zaltzman in the second row with Sims left to contemplate life at Sixways from the sidelines. The former Gloucester man, however, will get a chance to make his presence felt at Moseley on Saturday with Morgan left out of the squad for the National Cup tie.

It is a welcome boost for Sims who has seen his first team chances recede since the arrival of Brain. He is loathe to complain but after being handed a pay cut with his new contract in the summer, you could forgive him for feeling a bit hard done by after such staunch service.

Those of us regularly dismayed by what we perceive as the catchpenny mentality of the modern professional sportsman should perhaps consider for a moment that Sims did not, like other higher profile players, seek a move away from Worcester in the summer.

He did not advise his agent to come up with deals and counter offers to boost his price and because of that loyalty, found his fee had fallen in the wake of so many new players sweeping through the Sixways doors. When clubs bemoan the professional climate and rage against the infidelity of players, they must surely realise it is a two-way deal and the case of Sims proves it unequivocally.

If there had been a significant depreciation in his talent you could understand Sims' demotion but after being selected as the English National Division's skipper for their match with Australia on Sunday, there are, quite clearly, other admirers of him within the game.

The contest ended in a 34-22 defeat but for Sims it was a welcome run out and another example of the unheralded quality within National One.

"I really enjoyed myself, it was a great experience," he said. "Everyone thought we were going to get absolutely hammered but the boys trained well, bonded well and went out and did a good job. It was nice to start a game and I think we did ourselves and the league credit."

Despite criticism over the call-up procedures, Sims remains a fan of the National Divisions format.

"I'm all in favour of the National Divisions and having a representative side. There are so many good English players being forced into this division because of the foreign stars in the Premiership so it gives them a chance to show how good they are."

Focusing on his club situation, Sims, although frustrated, will fight for his place.

"I'm at that age now where, ideally, I would like to be playing every week," he added. "However, it's not up to me to pick the team and I will continue to work hard in training and take my chance when it comes."

In a professional world where the overriding loyalty is to the pound sign, it is reassuring to know there is still room for players of Sims' ilk. If he was a product of the amateur era, Sims surely now embodies a professional ethos which is rarely seen when frustration boils over.

And on Saturday, Moseley may find out, to their cost, the true meaning of professionalism.