AFTER our solid display against Tynedale on Saturday we have a golden opportunity to test ourselves against the very best at the weekend.

We travel to Vicarage Road to play Zurich Premiership leaders Saracens in the fifth round of the Tetley Bitter Cup hoping to cause what would be a real upset.

In the space of eight days we will have gone from red-hot favourites in a cup tie to the unfancied underdog - that is the beauty of the cup.

You always want to test yourselves against the best and they don't come any better that Francois Pienaar's men. They have set the standard in the Premiership this season and we aim to give a good account of ourselves down in Watford.

It is exciting to think that my side will be playing against some of the best players in the world because I feel Saracens will be at full strength. When you think they will have players like Tim Horan and Kyran Bracken it can be daunting but I think my players will enjoy every minute of it because they want to be playing on that kind of stage week in, week out. What we have to do is make sure we are mentally there on the day because I think physically they are probably a bit more dynamic than us. We have to make sure we are mentally strong and shut them down. It's not going to be a game of throwing the ball about it will be a tie when a lot of aggressive defending is needed. We showed against Tynedale that we can play rugby as good as anyone but it will be a much different test on Sunday - the whole game will be won in defence. The result is not a priority for me it is the performance that counts. If we have shown that we can mix it with the big boys and still end up losing out I will be happy because it will show we are going in the right direction. I'm sure with the ongoing row over promotion and relegation we will be seen as some kind of representative team for National Division One and a guide to how worthy we are of elevation to the Premiership. However, my job on Sunday is to prepare the team for a game of rugby nothing more, nothing less. That is the reality of the situation. If we start thinking about other issues then our focus has already switched away from the pitch. We want to win the game but for me the performance is the important thing.

Victory, on the other hand, would really put Worcester on the map. It would put me on the map and it would give the players fantastic belief because they would be thinking "whose next?"

They would have beaten the best and would have nothing to fear. Winning against them would be tremendous for the club and the city.

It will be nice to see a few old friends at the weekend when we go down there. I played in the Australian side with Horan for a couple of years. He is one of the most down to earth people in the game with a hell of a sense of humour. He made his first start for Saracens, after returning from injury, in their cup win over Bedford on Sunday and I expect him to play against us. I am also good friends with their chief executive Francois Pienaar. I played against him on numerous occasions. He was such a tough competitor, very uncompromising. A guy who just would not accept anything. He took no prisoners and basically took South Africa through the 1995 World Cup. He is a very highly respected figure in rugby and the best thing that has ever happened to Saracens. It will be good to see these legends of the game but I don't want to go out there and shake their hands when my side has just been beaten by 40 points - I want to keep my and Worcester's reputation in place.

It's fair to say they don't get any bigger than Saracens but I must say I was impressed with our hosts on Saturday at Tynedale. They are a great example of how an amateur rugby club should be run. They have four or five pitches there, have got it all there for the juniors and they've got senior teams as well. They had the real down-to-earth values of a proper club and that to me was fantastic, it is a great place. It was a fantastic experience to go to a club like that and all their players never let their heads drop despite the hefty defeat. I was very happy with our performance. We won 76-12 and played some good stuff. I think the last 15 minutes was a bit disappointing but the game was well and truly won by then. Once again the support we received in the North East was great. It was such a long way for fans to travel but again - you did us proud. I hope we can give you something more to cheer about on Sunday when we travel to Saracens. That will certainly be one not to miss.