IT'S seemed like an eternity for this game to arrive and now it has I'm sure our coaches wish it was another month away!

Don't get me wrong, we are all very excited about Saturday's trip to Rotherham but, with the amount of injuries picked up at the weekend, it may well be a depleted Worcester side which lines up at Millmoor.

Last week we lost Christian Evans because of a long-term collarbone injury and, during Saturday's game with Wakefield, Richard Bates, Richard Nias, Gavin Pfister, James Ogilvie-Bull and myself had to leave the field because of injuries.

We often talk about the depth of the squad -- especially in the back row -- so how ironic is it that we are struggling for numbers in that position with Evans out and Bates and Nias looking very doubtful. Sport has a knack of turning things on their head very quickly so I would say that, even though we go into the match as league leaders, we are very much the underdogs.

I haven't trained much this week because of an elbow injury I had during the Wakefield match so that has been a little frustrating but I think I'll have to play -- maybe in the back row! I must admit the place looks more like an A & E department rather than a rugby club at present!

Despite the injuries, though, the excitement is certainly building among the players because this is the one everyone wants to be involved. For me it's like a big Super 12 game -- that's the sort of comparison I can make from my experience. We are the two front-runners in the league and we go into their back yard. Certainly we know that it will be a big test and the players, whoever is available, all know just what is ahead of them.

Rotherham are a great side and one which, we believe, should already be in the Premiership. They won the National One title last year fair and square and everyone at Worcester is well aware of just how good they are. They have a magnificent record at home and, although they have moved to a new stadium, we know just how tough going there and winning will be.

It is going to be a very tight game and it wouldn't surprise me if there weren't that many tries because both teams have a good defence and are well organised. The battle up front will, obviously, be vital but we think we have some talented players in our side who want to play at the highest level.

To get to that level, though, there are always stepping stones and this game is one of them. It is an extremely important match in the context of the promotion race and these are the sort of matches you want to be part of as a professional player. When all is said and done, it will be the players who handle the big match pressures better who will come out on top. It is about clear heads, the right decisions and underpinning that with getting the basics right.

We were a little disappointed with those basics on Saturday against Wakefield. We won the game 36-0 and scored six tries but I think we didn't play as well as we know we can. In fairness to the boys, the weather was terrible and the opposition basically came to Sixways to defend for 80 minutes and they did take some breaking down. They were a well-drilled outfit and had players who were willing to do anything to slow us down and disrupt our patterns. But by Saturday night, we had another five points in the bag, were back on top of the table and looking ahead to Rotherham so we were fairly happy.

Our players are now very much looking forward to our trip to Millmoor and we are delighted that so many Worcester supporters are travelling up there to support us. It's going to be tough for us so the more noise from the Sixways brigade -- the better. It means an awful lot to the supporters as it does us players and I must stress that this is a team thing. The fans are part of that team and we need them to play a big part for us off the field on Saturday.