(3) A DIFFERENT WARRIORS AFTER THE BREAK

The biggest positive at half-time was the transformation in the Worcester set piece. Against Ampthill the previous week, the pack had struggled badly; against Cardiff, the forwards had won their own scrums and line-outs and had also managed to disrupt Cardiff's possession. That provided the foundation for everything that followed. The problem was that Worcester were still not supporting the ball quickly enough, and when possession did reach the backs, the attack could look flat and short of ideas.

Siva Naulago was also being asked to play in the centre rather than his more familiar position out on the wing, and it was clear that he was still adjusting to the demands of the role. His two most impressive runs came when he found himself in wider areas, where his power and pace could be used more naturally. There was plenty of possession available to Worcester, but Cardiff's defence was generally able to deal with the initial threat.

The second half, however, belonged increasingly to the Warriors.

They came out with much better organisation and considerably greater physicality. The defence, which had looked vulnerable during Cardiff's blistering opening spell, tightened considerably, and for an entire quarter Cardiff were unable to add to their score. Worcester's forwards were now taking the game directly to their opponents, making hard yards and creating gaps through their direct running. Several breaks came close to producing points before, eventually, the pressure told.

Following another scrum close to the Cardiff line, Will Reed found a gap and went over. The conversion brought Worcester to within three points at 19–22, and suddenly this looked nothing like the game that had threatened to become a comfortable Cardiff victory half an hour earlier.

As the afternoon progressed, both coaches began making changes to give players valuable pre-season game time. Worcester brought on a number of younger players, among them Ashley Challenger, and the youngster immediately provided the sort of energy and enthusiasm that is particularly encouraging to see in a pre-season fixture. There was no suggestion that Worcester were treating the final stages as an exercise to be completed; they were beginning to believe that they could actually win it.

That was perhaps the most pleasing aspect of the afternoon.

(4) THE FORWARDS
TAKE CENTRE STAGE

If there was one part of the Warriors' performance that deserves particular praise, it was the forward pack. The scrum was a revelation compared with the previous week, and throughout the match Worcester were able to win penalties and put Cardiff under pressure at the set piece. Against a fully professional URC side, that was no small achievement.

Hallam Chapman was particularly impressive after moving into the number eight shirt. He looked completely at home there, carrying strongly and contributing to a forward effort that increasingly gave Worcester control of the game. The front row were also excellent, and in truth the whole pack can take enormous credit for the way they responded to the disappointment of Ampthill. There was power in the carries, aggression at the breakdown and a willingness to keep taking the game to Cardiff.

The Warriors also produced some excellent jackaling, although there remained an issue with support. Too often a player carrying the ball was isolated because the supporting runners were not arriving quickly enough, allowing Cardiff to turn possession over rather too easily. It is an area that will need attention before the league campaign begins, because Worcester will not want to waste the excellent work being done by the forwards.

There was a similar contrast in the back division. At times the backs looked flat and struggled to turn Worcester's possession into genuine attacking threat. That changed noticeably when Will Trewin came onto the field. He brought a different energy to the attack and immediately appeared to give Cardiff another problem to consider. Roma Zheng also had an excellent afternoon on the wing, and his involvement in the build-up to Worcester's first try was just one example of the threat he posed.

That mixture of established players and younger replacements was one of the most useful aspects of the fixture. Pre-season is partly about finding combinations and giving players the opportunity to stake their claim, and there were enough encouraging performances to suggest that Matt Everard and his coaching staff have some interesting decisions to make before the competitive season begins.

(5) ONE POINT SHORT

By the time the final quarter arrived, Worcester were no longer hanging on. They were the side asking the questions.

The Warriors began putting together some excellent multi-phase attacks, retaining possession and, importantly, maintaining their shape through the phases. This was a considerable improvement from the earlier stages of the game. Instead of trying to force an opportunity from the next possession, Worcester were patient, building pressure and making Cardiff defend for extended periods.

Cardiff eventually restored some breathing space when captain Liam Belcher finished a powerful driving maul, but the Warriors simply came again. The visitors had done enough in the opening half to establish the advantage, yet Worcester were now playing with the confidence of a side that believed the game could still be won.

And then came the late drama.

Worcester scored again in the closing stages to bring the deficit down to a single point. The official Cardiff account describes the final score as 27–26, with the visitors holding on after Worcester's late response.

One point.

That was all that separated the two sides at the final whistle.

There was naturally disappointment. Nobody enjoys losing, even in pre-season, and the Warriors had worked enormously hard to put themselves into a position where victory was within touching distance. But the overriding feeling leaving Sixways should have been one of encouragement.

This was a Cardiff side preparing for another URC campaign. They had arrived, according to their own report, with a 28-man squad and a mixture of established players and new recruits, using the fixture as an important test before their season begins. Worcester had started disastrously, fallen 22 points behind and then fought their way back to within a single point.

Had the final attack produced one more score, it would have been difficult to argue that Worcester hadn't earned the victory.

(6) THE FORUM VERDICT

The easiest thing to do after a 27–26 defeat is to concentrate on the fact that Worcester lost. But if we judge this game on what a pre-season fixture is actually designed to achieve, there is an enormous amount to take from it.

The opening quarter was poor. There were too many mistakes, the support play was too slow and Cardiff's speed and accuracy exposed weaknesses that will need to be addressed. The backs were sometimes flat and lacking in ideas, while some of the kicking decisions from the base of the scrum simply put pressure back on a team that had worked hard to gain territory.

But the response was outstanding.

The set piece was transformed from the previous week. The scrum became a genuine weapon, the forwards carried with real authority and the defence improved dramatically as the afternoon progressed. Most importantly, the players showed determination. They could easily have allowed Cardiff to disappear over the horizon after that opening 28 minutes. Instead, they fought their way back into the game and eventually became the dominant side.

That is the characteristic that stood out most strongly.

They kept fighting.

And that was the biggest difference between this performance and the one at Ampthill.

There is still plenty to work on before the first league match, but that is precisely what pre-season is for. What we saw at Sixways was a genuinely physical and competitive fixture against a team operating at a higher level, and Worcester emerged from it having learned a great deal about themselves.

More importantly, they showed us something about what this team might become.

(7) NOW IT GETS SERIOUS

There is now a two-week wait before Worcester return to Sixways for their first competitive fixture of the season, and what a game it promises to be.

Bedford Blues are coming to town.

These are the same Bedford side Worcester defeated in last season's Championship final, so there will be no shortage of motivation for the visitors. For Worcester, it is the perfect opportunity to start the new campaign by reminding everyone that last season's success was no fluke.

The Cardiff match has given the supporters plenty to think about. We have seen a scrum that can compete with a URC pack, a forward group capable of imposing itself physically, exciting young players eager to make their mark and, perhaps most importantly, a team that will not simply lie down when things go against it.

(8) WE CAN MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

The players will do their preparation. The coaches will work on the areas that need improvement. The squad will get fitter and combinations will become more familiar.

But Sixways needs to become our fortress.

We need to fill it. We need to make some noise. We need to stay behind the team for the full eighty minutes, because Saturday showed just how much difference that support can make when the players begin to believe that the impossible is becoming possible.

Bedford will come looking for revenge.

Let's make sure they discover what it means to play at a packed Sixways.

YOU are the 16th man.

The club needs YOU.