MATT Everard pictured the return of rugby to Sixways over and over before it finally happened – it was everything he hoped for and more.
The long-awaited return of Worcester Warriors is just around the corner, with competitive rugby set to return to Sixways for the first time since the club went into administration in 2022.
Worcester fans had an agonising 1,091-day wait between their final game before collapse against Newcastle and last week’s preseason friendly against Bath, watched by nearly 9,000 fans.
With a new lease of life, after three years of pain, director of rugby Everard recognises how special the club’s return is to so many people in the area.
“It was a special night,” Everard said. “I definitely felt emotional. You know, when you think about something over and over again? You think of what it’s going to be like.
“I obviously had a good amount of time sat in an office by myself, so just having the players in on day one of training felt special. But I’ve definitely thought a lot about the first home game, and it probably exceeded that.
“It was all so special. The way the players played, probably first and foremost, was the effort they put in, which made everyone very proud. Then, to see so many emotional fans and families, my family was there, and they found it emotional. I think all the fans did as well.
“The people that get forgotten a lot are the support staff that have been at Six Ways for the last three and a half years when there’s been absolutely no rugby there, who have kept life in the place and what it meant to them. It was a special night.”
Clearly, it’s an incredibly emotional time for all involved with life at Sixways.
The way in which former owners Jason Whittingham and Colin Goldring led the Warriors into the scrap heap has left a deep scar among a fanbase that had one of the pillars of their community torn away overnight.
With a new team ready to take the field, however, there has been an outpouring of love from the local community, who have turned up to open training sessions over the preseason in their droves to meet the new squad and share stories from past iterations of the Warriors.
Warriors captain Matt Rogerson said: “It’s been a long time, and fans have continued to support the club even though there’s not been any rugby for the last couple of years. So, to see that number of people back and turning out even just to watch us train has been incredible.
“People want to share their stories of what it’s meant to them, and how important it is to have it back. You do get a real sense of what it means.
“Referring back to the game [against Bath], I think it’s the first time that I’ve ever been involved in a game where it’s ended in a loss but everyone’s been so happy. It’s quite an unusual feeling, really, but that’s because, as we said, rugby was back where it was supposed to be.”
With the season opener against Coventry a sell-out, it promises to be a momentous occasion. However, there is still considerable work to be done behind the scenes if the Warriors wish to restore themselves to their former glory.
Before administration, Worcester had developed a brilliant academy that produced Fin Smith, Ollie Lawrence and others, which they will need to rebuild.
Additionally, with an entirely new group of players, on-pitch cohesion will be a key area of focus if the Warriors aim to reach the brand-new Champ Rugby play-offs.
For Everard, however, there is no internal pressure, even if expectations have increased following the performance against Bath, a 33-19 defeat to the English champions at near full strength.
“If I’m honest, there’s no pressure on the players this year,” he said.
“They all met for the first time about 70 days ago, so we want to express ourselves and enjoy ourselves and get tight and work hard and care for each other.
“I wouldn’t be leading them very well if I were to put pressure on, saying ‘we’re going to be here or here.’ We just want to be tight as a group.
“If we come to games and we’re making the fans really, really excited about the rugby we’re playing and the team we’ve picked, and we’re going away from games and fans are driving away, and they’re really, really proud of the effort we’ve put in then we’ll be on the right lines.”
It’s tough to know what to expect from a team that is still morphing into its final form, but one thing is for certain: they will be backed to the hilt by their community, win or lose.
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