By MadMonk
September 15 2013

Perceived wisdom is that there are three clubs we should worry about if London Irish are going to steer clear of the drop zone. In round 2 they were paired so it was always going to be a weekend to lay down an early marker. Sale had already done so in round 1 surprising everyone by travelling to Gloucester and winning. Newcastle, Worcester and London Irish all lost against big clubs.

Round 2 kicked off on Friday with a typically cold wet windy day in Stockport. The kind of evening you expect Sale to grind out a result, especially after the performance at Kingsholm. They didn't. Newcastle squeezed the narrowest of wins. That left London Irish and Worcester as two clubs one of whom would be left without a win in the first two games.

I arrived at Sixways to find subtle changes. The perimeter fence had been moved to accommodate extra beer and food stalls, but the layout was frustrating, mainly due to the usual over zealous stewards. A friend had to try three different turnstiles before sneaking in a small flag. I was lucky not to have my crozier confiscated as it has many times before. Another went to the shop to buy a pin for his collection. They don't sell them due to "health and safety". For the same reason it has been many years since anyone has got into Sixways carrying a bodhran.

You can no longer walk the perimeter of the pitch to greet friends in other stands, and my flag, cunningly wrapped around my crozier then draped over a fence had to be put away because part of it was touching an advertising board. One of the locals asked why there were so few of us. Seriously?

For Worcester it was the first home game of the season marked by pyrotechnics. The planners clearly overlooked the fact that 3pm on a sunny September afternoon does not do fireworks justice. what fireworks on the pitch from the Warriors was clearly borne of frustration. Frustration that even when Chris Hala'ufia was sin-binned they could not capitalise. Condemned by reputation, most opponents know that if you are foolish enough to head butt Chris' knee you will at least be rewarded by getting him sent to the naughty step.

One of their fans said to me afterwards, “that was a banker for us”. It is true. New coach Dean Ryan must be wondering already, if we can't beat London Irish at Sixways, who can we beat? Those are certainly the thoughts in their supporters' minds. Once it gets into the heads of the players it becomes a very long season.

Irish answered a crucially important question: can we win on the road? Yes. It was a close run thing. Mistakes from the boot ultimately made the difference, but they evened out. The real difference was in opportunities. We made the most of ours, mostly thanks again to Marland. It would be a mistake to read the game as the Yarde show. A determined home side would have punched through against many premiership clubs, but a well organised Irish defence kept them out for most of the game.

Only when Worcester got quick ball and span it wide were Irish found wanting. It kept Worcester in the game. Indeed it called forth from Irish a hidden talent, the ability to hold on to a narrow lead for the whole of the final quarter. It was a close run thing. Two points ahead, the clock dead, our opponents in possession. It is a heart in mouth scenario familiar to all Irish fans. Worcester patiently forced their way into the scoring zone knowing that the slightest transgression by the visitors would give them the opportunity to snatch the victory they so desperately wanted.

In another significant change to London Irish they kept their discipline. When the ball finally went forward off the Worcester ball carrier it was all over. Brian's policy of bringing the players up the day before had paid off, now it was time for the players to enjoy a rare experience, a victorious travelling team celebrating on the coach on the way home.

Scoring sequence:
Mieres penalty after five minutes, equalised by Humphries on 14. Mieres converts Lemi’s try three minutes later. Five minutes before the break Yarde scores and Humphries converts to send the sides in at half time ten apiece. Yarde scores again 8 minutes after the restart. The lead is eroded by Mieres with another penalty on the hour mark. He scores with ten minutes to go but cannot add the extras forcing the home side to defend a single point lead for ten minutes. Humphries’ penalty puts Irish back in the lead three minutes from time. Worcester are unable to reply and the final score is Worcester Warriors 18, London Irish 20