The day started early at 06:30, get down the club for 07:45 sort out the projectors and then enjoy the Cup Final.

England win the RWC, fantastic lunch and Q&A with Bradders & Duncan Roke Could the day get any better??

Well the answer was a resounding "YES" The weather was going to be a test for both teams however Exeter may have thought it would favour their team and method of play. Well how wrong they were. James Brown got the game underway, the ball was almost stolen by  Drew Hickey.

No matter the Warriors forwards just stormed in like a herd of rampaging buffalo's. They just hammered the Exeter pack backwards so fast they just fell about the field like wind blown apples This Warriors pack was really and I mean really up for this game

After that fantastic display at Plymouth, there was always the danger of complacency, we have seen it before, (after London Welsh away last season) Not this time, it was not just another gear, the whole gearbox had been replaced for a Sherman tank.

The forwards, from the moment they game in contact with the Exeter players, totally out muscled and out thought them. They were too quick to the breakdown, driving straight over and through the defence. The inevitable came, a five meter line out, catch, set, drive and bobs your uncle another magnificent, unstoppable forward driven try

It was all Worcester  with Exeter having to defend, surviving on silly mistakes and the whistle of Mr Wayne Barnes. Who generally had a fair game, however some of his decision, were, mystifying.

The Warriors conceded another penalty, for Exeter to take the easy and only option of the three points All the years I have been watching Exeter and Worcester I have never seen Exeter so totally out powered up front.

The extra power that Phil (The Power) Richards has developed in this team, since his arrival in July, has to be seen to be believed. In the set scrum The Warriors, with utter contempt drove the Exeter pack off their own ball time and time again

One of the Exeter players who stood out all day was their talented scrum half. He is quick, with the ability to turn defence very quickly into attack.

However the Warrior's  defence is made of pretty resolute material these days (the tightest in the division)

Early on in the game Tony Yapp had sustained what looked like a calf injury, he was  eventually forced to leave the field. His replacement played the same stereo-typical Exeter game, not a problem. Once again The Warriors pack were driving the Exeter 8 all over the field, with recycled ball being fed into the No10 channel for Richard Bates, Neil Lyman and the massive Mark Gabey to come rampaging through, making massive yards.

The ball was presented at speed, picked up and driven straight over the hapless Exeter defenders. The massive work rate from The Warriors was creating such intensity, it was going to need a psychologist to repair the mental damage being inflicted on Exeter

Once again, yet another penalty was kicked deep into the Exeter corner on the left.

The lineout, like clockwork with Ben Daly hitting the towering Craig Gillies like a guided missile, was once again driven over.

Another forwards try. The record books will state who scored it, but this team count it as a try for the growlers, the pack, the steel hearted Warriors of Worcester.

Utterly compelling in it's simplicity and execution The Warriors 20 : 6 Exeter

The restart was taken and Craig Gillies took a catch that would make Jonty Rhodes proud (2ft taller but still a great catch). What happened next, one guess? The ball was fed to Richard Bates who just carried all before him and once again we were back in the Exeter half with ball being driven through the Exeter forwards.

Could we drive them all the way from the halfway line, we tried, but even this team is not good enough to do that. The ball was taken to the left where great interplay with Tommy Hayes sidestepping three defenders, Gary Trueman cutting through the defensive line, the ball found Wes Davies who took off, outside the first defender, inside the second linked with Ben Daly, who duly knocked on whilst over the try line.

However Exeter were driven off their own ball and yet another driving maul was set up. First one way then the other, with Exeter defenders being spread like St Ival all over the turf. Over they went for the 4th and bonus try. Who scored??

Who cares!!

It was that marvellous 8 again, yet another forward driven try and the 4th conceded by Exeter in 35 minutes.

Exeter at every opportunity attempted to score and drive the Warriors backwards but it looked an impossible task, with some great tackles coming in from Ben Daly, Gavin Pfister and Drew Hickey

Once again at the end of a half the Warriors were thinking of that  dry shirt and a clean up.

Exeter played the last 3 minutes of the half  better, they had not given up or gone to sleep. They attacked once again through their hard working forwards.

This time they kept the ball up and mauled, driving again and again inexorably towards the warriors line. Fully deserving they drove over the Warriors line for an unconverted try

Worcester were stung and immediately went back onto the attack surging into the Exeter 22. It looked like a try was on it's way when Mr Barnes blew up for half time a good 2 minutes early.

Still, a great 40 minutes of incredible rugby. Following on from the second half display at Plymouth. Could this be sustained into the second half.

We would have to wait and see!!!

Could Worcester Sustain the form and intensity they had shown in the first 40 minutes, would they slide into mediocrity or would they once again reach for the heights and beyond.

The answer as at Plymouth was the same, it just got faster, with even more intensity being applied to the beleaguered Exeter defence.

Exeter got the second half underway with a good kick-off which was well fielded. The first attacking ruck of the second half was set-up by Richard Bates and his marauders, the ball went to James Brown, was he going to launch his electrifying backs or not???

You could see Gary Truman's smile form the South stand, his heart raced the legs pumped, "to me he called, to me." James Cool as a cucumber ignored his little pleading face and calmly struck the ball taking play almost to the Exeter 22.

You could almost feel the ground shake as Gary stamped his left foot on the ground in frustration. Once again the plan was to gain territory and roll the Exeter forwards over again.

The ball was turned over at the lineout and Big Dan Zaltsman, on for Mark Gabey set up the first phase for another scintillating attack. The forwards drove in scattering the defenders as they carved their way through the Exeter defence.

At last Gary got a pass, not to miss an opportunity to show the girls his silky skills, off he set like a Japanese samurai cutting the defence to pieces. But once again it was only to set up the forwards to have another go at rolling over this once vaunted Exeter 8 Exeter are a very well organised team who had been put to the sword, but not once did they give up.

At every opportunity they tried to attack, but their forwards were just not strong enough to dent the shell of the Gold & Blue line of defenders. When the ball was moved into their backs it became even more disjointed. If you rarely use a tool then it will become rusty and ineffective! Once again the Worcester 15 were just too much for the Visitors from Exeter

The Warriors were now in total command of the game, being denied scoring opportunities through some resolute defence and the decision to practice keeping and playing it tight.

Exeter had thought we would attack wide down the flanks and were defending too wide, leaving it weaker down the middle.

This was being fully exploited by the men in blue, dark blue that is.At one maul the first three members of the Exeter maul were physically lifted and carried fully 15 meters before they regained their feet.

They were being treated like rag dolls

Craig after the first two lineouts, better to be forgotten, ensured a constant supply of ball from the line. Which was used to suck in the Exeter back row by driving through, there was however no need to release the ball as ground was being made straight through the lineout.

Off they went again driving to the Exeter line, whose forwards just didn't have an answer to the organisation and control being exerted by The Warriors generated by Werner who was having an armchair ride. Over the line and forward try No 5, what a day!!

What a pack these players have become!

Working for each other, Lee Fortey was now on with Christian Evans out with flu and Adrian Olver on loan to Gloucester it has massive strength in depth.

Who can also forget the young lions waiting in the wings Tom Warren, Neil Mason, Matt Evans and James Percival, who took on Wakefield and only just lost. We have such massive strength in depth this year.

This game and the one against Plymouth should be dedicated to the emergence of a real force to be reckoned with.

A Real Pack!!

The steam was rising from the Exeter pack as their bodies started to work off that extra bit of fluid, they looked shattered, but they never gave up trying, not once.

Now we saw some threequarter movement, not a lot just enough to keep the runners warm and interested, along with keeping the Exeter defence on the back foot and wide.

Worcester forced another penalty and took their usual option 5 meters out with a pin point kick from Tommy Hayes. The first drive failed due to being pulled down, the second one went straight over for the 6th and final forward try of the day. 6 forward tries over Exeter phew some achievement

I worried about Lee but that looks like a good handful there.

The pack as a whole were my man of the match but Craig Gillies and Gavin Pfister stood out as key performers. Gavin with his hat-trick and Craig with his domination of the line.

Craig at one stage took a wayward pass and turned it into a personal triumph of determined powerful running, great stuff. Whereas Gavin was everywhere turning ball over, tackling, passing and finishing off the growlers tries

When it was necessary to defend it was done with power and organisation.

As yet again another team came back at the dead to try and salvage some pride. Exeter put together their most determined phase of attacking play in the game. Maybe believing Worcester are susceptible at the end of a half.

Well the Warriors defence stood proud and firm with the whole 8 forwards giving everything they had to stop them, even though the game was won.

Yes we may at times relax a little early but it still takes a great deal of skill and determination to get past. The Warriors forced the attackers backwards and quickly relieved the pressure. Game Over!!

The Warriors 37 : 14 Exeter

Observations:

1.   This was the day The Warriors came of age. It is going to take a very very good team to beat this pack.
2.   We now have the prospect of the forwards being the top try scorers for the season.
3.   The control exerted by James Brown shows why "Sir" Clive thinks very highly of him. His passing and kicking were excellent. As a pair James Brown and Tommy Hayes are probably the best in the country.
4.   We had seen the power growing in the team through the first games of the season. It is now blossoming, if it continues over the next two months come January we will have to keep them away from raw meat.
5.   Nothing can be said of the backs as this was never going to be a game for them. However we could have switched wide at anytime and run in the tries.