The supporters were all in fine voice, travelling down the motorway, after a much better organisation of the coaches by the escorts, Peter Watkins, Sandra Higgitt and JP. We were all feeling fairly confident that we could come away with at least a bonus point. Knowing we were in good form. Bath would be severely weakened through international call ups and injury, whereas we were at full strength.

However let us battle on with what I could see.

The Warriors came on to great cheers from the 1,000's of travelling supporters. This sort of support has to make the players feel proud, it makes the supporters feel proud and so it should it was a fantastic effort

The game kicked off and Bath started where they left off against Gloucester the previous week. The Warriors were still on holiday.

For 6 minutes the Warriors line was besieged by the powerful and determined Bath forwards. They were out to show that they were the best 8 in the league not Worcester even if they were 4 players short. However coming back into their front row was Flatman and Humphries their skipper. For 6 minutes they attacked and the Warriors held them at bay. Worcester just could not get any possession and set up some phases.

A piece of utter petulance from Delport as he impeded their flying winger cost him 10 minutes in the bin and his fellow team-mates had to suffer.

Malone failed to take full advantage missing the penalty!

The Warriors woke up and realised they were in a game that was not going to be given to them on a plate. The game found root in-between the Warriors 22 and the halfway line as neither of the two sides had any shape or organisation. It was pretty dour stuff with the Warriors once again unable to keep the ball at crucial moments.

The Bath threequarters were looking much livelier than their leaden footed counterparts.

Back came Delport, now back upto 15 men, maybe we could attack?

During the first 20 minutes there had been some goading and niggles from both sides and Chris Horsman has to learn to deal with it. His flurry of hooks and crosses in front of both officials was not the most sensible thing to do. Another Warrior in the bin for another 10 minutes.

The game continued to run with very little shape to it. Bath were short of their key players and Worcester were not up for it and it showed.

However they defended well and kept Bath down to 6 points even though they had been down to 14 men for 20 minutes. Tommy Hayes also converting a penalty to make the half time score

Bath 6 : 3 Warriors

They had Bath on the back foot and were starting to take apart their front 5.  The ball was driven down into the left hand corner, the pressure applied. Several penalties were spurned for scrums as Bath had no answer to the Warriors front row. 5 penalties were conceded in quick succession on the Bath line before Mr Rose finally awarded a well deserved penalty try. Tommy Hayes stepping up to convert

Bath 6 : 10 Warriors

Instead of piling on the pressure we stepped back and let them come at us. Mistake! Bath took advantage and attacked, running the ball wide at every opportunity, but the warriors defence was sound and it never looked as if Bath would breach the defensive wall. the problem was there was nothing coming back.

bath were setting up a nice platform from the line outs. Not once in the game did the Warriors even contest the Bath line. Seemingly content to give them the ball and then drive in.

However we started to work our way back driving deep into their 22 forcing Bath to concede an eminently kickable penalty. In hindsight the option taken to go for the corner with the fragility of our lineout proved to be the wrong one.

Bath responded by storming down the field and forcing Worcester to concede yet another penalty. Once again Malone converted to take Bath back into the lead

The pack were so confident they could drive Bath over the line they spurned two kickable penalties for scrums. Without Neikerk they did not have the scrummaging skill to drive Bath backwards. On both occasions they lost out and conceded the ball. 2 decision that would come back and haunt them

Watch and learn is the lesson of the day as first a drop goal and then the silliest of penalties conceded I have ever seen by a team playing at this level. This action alone cost the loss of a vital bonus point, it was petulant and totally unnecessary. Final score

Bath 18 : 10 Worcester

1.  Complacency always comes back to bite your backside!! The game is not won until you have won it. To come to a place like the "Rec" thinking it was a "gimme" was perhaps unjustified.

2.  The line out display was the worst of the season. No pressure on the opposition in any form, losing 5 and having 70% of the others disrupted was not what the doctor called for.

3.  The silly aggressive nature of the first 20 minutes showed a complete disregard for the game and the opposition and we were punished accordingly

4.  Not to come away with a point from this game is a bad mistake and a big failure of the team to perform as we all know they can.

5.  Very few positives can be taken from the game by any player apart from Neikerk and possibly Gary Trueman who injected much need pace into the midfield

5.  It is now time to regroup for Saracens in a fortnights time. This game has now taken on an enormous significance.

6.  Bath with 18 players unavailable show what strength in depth is needed at this level. They were able to bring in home grown talent to fill the boots of the senior players. This is where the Supporters Development fund can make a massive difference to OUR club. We can provide funding and support throughout Worcester to develop our young players, attract the best academy players and provide a massive talented base of players for our club to select from. If Bath and Leicester can develop youngsters then so can we!!

7.  Saracens are a good team who have finally started to fire on all cylinders.

8.  It is now we need to make sure that Sixways is an inferno of passionate support on the 26th March and it will take a massive effort from all of us