Saturday, May 21, 2005

IT was difficult to assess who was the least enthusiastic.

Was it John Brain, the Worcester players or this reporter?

Billed as a day for the supporters, a second-string Worcester side went through the motions of this European farce, lost and, in the process, did little to enhance the prospects for the few needy players still at Sixways.

People such as Jon Hylton and Paul Sampson tried their best to get involved but, with the Warriors' scrum on its knees because of their well-documented front-row issues, this was always likely to be decided up front.

Ultimately, Hylton will be remembered in this game for his defensive frailties after allowing Auch to run in a second-minute try with the minimum of fuss.

Whether or not Brain and Andy Keast will give him another chance remains in question but his tackle, which was simply brushed aside, was not the best snapshot of his abilities.

With the French dictating up front and their impressive scrum-half Thierry Lacourt looking dangerous, it seemed only a matter of time before the visitors extended their lead.

And despite a Tommy Hayes penalty, they did just that.

Gregory Patat made the most of Worcester's blindside defence when he peeled off the back of a scrum to double the try tally.

Once Jean-Baptiste Dambielle had added the conversion, the Warriors were staring down the barrel.

Two further Dambielle three-pointers plus Hayes' glaring miss gave Auch a 20-3 half-time lead and, with both sides making mass changes after the break, the second period was always likely to suffer.

Ultimately, the French full-back added another penalty but, with the score beginning to look embarrassing for the Warriors, Daren O'Leary ran in his farewell try for Worcester to give the 'home' side some consolation.

It was perhaps fitting that O'Leary, a top professional for Worcester over the past two seasons, signed off his Sixways career with a well-worked score.

In truth, he looked one of the most motivated players on the field, despite him quite clearly knowing that the competition meant absolutely nothing to the club.

It may have been Worcester's final game of the season but everybody knew all too well that their campaign ended on April 30 with survival.

This was one game too many for everyone involved at Sixways.

Worcester: *O'Leary 8; Sampson 5, Trueman 6, Lombard 6, Hylton 5; Hayes 6, Powell 6; Windo 6, Daly 6, Sparks 7, Murphy 6, Gillies 6, Vaili 6, Mason 6, MacLeod-Henderson 6. Replacements: Fortey, Hall 6 (Sparks 60), Stuart-Smith 6 (Powell 60), Delport 6 (Hylton 51), Brown 6 (Trueman 51), Hinshelwood, Roke 6 (Sampson 60).

Man of the match: Daren O'Leary -- Professional right up until the very end.

Attendance: 1,800.