Hartpury: "A Score To Settle"

The Champions Have a Score to Settle!

The Road to Hartpury

Four games, four victories, four bonus points — and the Champions are gathering momentum! This Saturday, Worcester Warriors head to Hartpury for a West Country encounter that means rather more than another three points in the Championship table. For those of us who follow this club through thick and thin, there is unfinished business to attend to. Hartpury got the better of us twice last season, and now our boys have the opportunity to put that right. We travel as the reigning Champions, full of confidence and carrying the pride of a club that has fought its way back to the top. Hartpury may have home advantage, but they will discover that the Warriors faithful do not travel simply to make up the numbers!

Those two defeats still rankle. Hartpury edged a 28–25 victory in October before repeating the trick with a 34–28 win in January. Both were tight encounters, both offered Worcester opportunities, and both ended with Hartpury celebrating at our expense. There is no need to dwell on those disappointments, but there is every reason to use them as motivation. Hartpury are a capable, well-organised side who know how to make life difficult for Worcester, and they will relish another opportunity to test themselves against the Champions. We should respect that challenge, but make no mistake: this Warriors side will travel with a point to prove, and there is nothing quite like the prospect of settling an old score to sharpen the appetite.

Just look at what Worcester have achieved since the new campaign began. Bedford were beaten 40–5, Rotherham swept aside 78–12, Richmond conquered 45–26 and Nottingham defeated 49–24. Four victories, four bonus points and an attacking display that has already delivered a feast of tries. And it is the players bringing that rugby to life who make this team such an exciting prospect. Tim Anstee brings physicality, pace and relentless tenacity, giving the Warriors a powerful presence around the field. Jake Garside has the acceleration, extraordinary footwork and change of direction to leave defenders grasping at thin air, while Will Reed brings a calm, controlled head to the game, helping Worcester manage the contest and make the right decisions when it matters. Up front, Fraser Balmain provides the power and solidity of a proper tighthead prop, while Matt Kvesic continues to lead from the front, setting the standard through his work rate, commitment and uncompromising approach.

And behind it all stands Head Coach Matt Everard, putting the pieces together and turning individual qualities into a team capable of challenging for honours. Last season's Championship triumph was no accident, and neither is the way Worcester have started this campaign. There is a blend of experience, physicality, pace and attacking ambition, underpinned by the discipline and collective belief that a successful side needs. Everard's challenge is to keep that momentum going, ensure the players remain hungry and make certain that every opponent faces a Warriors side prepared to work for one another. We have watched this club fight its way back from the brink; now we can take pride in seeing a team playing with purpose, confidence and a clear identity.

Hartpury, of course, will not be impressed by our points tally or intimidated by the word Champions. They will want to make this a physical contest, disrupt our rhythm and exploit any lapse in concentration. Worcester must be ready to meet that challenge from the first whistle, matching Hartpury's intensity before allowing our attacking talent to take control. This is where the experience gained last season becomes so important: the ability to stay composed, fight through difficult passages and keep working for one another. If Anstee and Kvesic can help establish the physical edge, Balmain and the pack can provide the platform, and Reed and Garside can bring their own qualities to bear, then Worcester have the ingredients to make this a very difficult evening for the hosts.

Match Outlook

Expect a fiercely contested encounter, with Hartpury determined to protect their home ground and Worcester keen to demonstrate that last season's results belong firmly in the past. The opening exchanges could be decisive. If the Warriors establish dominance up front, secure their possession and give their dangerous runners the platform to attack, they have the firepower to put Hartpury under sustained pressure. Discipline will be crucial, as will the ability to turn promising positions into points. This may demand patience as much as attacking flair, but if Worcester bring the intensity, organisation and collective spirit that have marked their opening four games, there is every reason to believe that the Champions can return home with another victory — and a little revenge thrown in for good measure!

And now, Warriors faithful, it is our turn to play our part. We know what this club means to us. We remember the dark days, the uncertainty and the fear that we might never see our team competing at this level again. We stood together, we kept believing, and we have witnessed the extraordinary reward: Worcester Warriors are Champions once more. That journey is part of our identity, and it is something no opponent can take away from us. So whether you are travelling to Hartpury, following the action from home or cheering every update from wherever you happen to be, get behind the boys. Let them know that the gold and blue travels with pride, that their supporters are right behind them and that we believe in what this team can achieve.

Winston Churchill's words still carry a powerful message for anyone facing a difficult challenge: “We shall fight on the beaches ... we shall never surrender.” Our battle may be fought on a rugby pitch rather than a battlefield, but the spirit is the same. Every tackle matters, every metre must be earned, and every Warrior must be prepared to stand firm for the man alongside him. When Hartpury come at us, we answer. When the pressure builds, we dig deeper. And when our boys need that extra push, they must know that the Warriors faithful are with them every step of the way. We are not going to Hartpury to admire the view; we are going to back our team, fight for the result and show the Championship what Worcester Warriors are made of.

Hartpury awaits. The Champions are coming. The score needs settling.

This is our club. This is our team. This is Worcester Warriors.

Stand proud, sing loud, and never stop believing.

" COME ON YOU WARRIORS! "