Worcester braced for final battle after week that rocked English rugby union

After a desperate week for English rugby, with the net closing around both Worcester and Wasps, Steve Diamond could at least still see the funny side. “That’s the first time my name has been read out in parliament,” the Worcester director of rugby quipped, in reference to an MP’s impassioned plea for the government to enforce administration on Thursday night.

At the same time Diamond was realistic about the outlook for the beleaguered Warriors. There is widespread resignation they will not come close to meeting the requirements set out by the Rugby Football Union before Monday’s deadline at 5pm. Suspension will follow and though there is hope Robin Walker’s plea will not go unheard - on Friday the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) instructed legal advisors to scrutinise Worcester’s accounts - Diamond’s admission that his players go into Saturday’s fixture with the mindset that “it’s our last game at Sixways ever” was sobering.

“It’s sad and it’s diabolical that it has been allowed to walk itself to the graveyard. I never thought it would get to this position but it has.”

There was a hint of relief in his voice too, simply that Worcester will not have to soldier on, with talk of deals to sell the club that never materialise, with bucket collections for their unpaid staff, in their current predicament. Suspension, Diamond believes, could only last a few weeks before the Premiership’s integrity is compromised but in that time Worcester would not be able to train at Sixways for insurance reasons.

Diamond was also eager to stress that though administration may help the club from disappearing entirely, it is hardly the answer to all of Worcester’s problems. “It’s a bit like the death of a dog,” he said.