The Telegraph

Steve Diamond: Worcester going to wall would be 'tragedy of professional rugby'

The Telegraph logo The Telegraph 29.08.2022 21:06:34 Charlie Morgan
Steve Diamond speaks exclusively to Charlie Morgan - David Rogers/Getty Images

Steve Diamond says it would be "a tragedy of professional rugby" that would leave families "wrecked" if Worcester Warriors go to the wall after revealing up to six of his players have already been approached by other clubs.

Monday saw potential investors present proposals to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in a bid to bring Worcester back from the brink a week before the start of the new Premiership campaign.

With players thought to be free to leave Worcester after a fortnight without receiving their wages and August's payroll due imminently, suitors are circling.  Diamond has vowed to help his players find clubs if they are forced into unemployment.

Diamond's squad continued their preparations for a pre-season friendly against Glasgow Warriors on Friday. They were also shown messages of support from fans that had been collected over the weekend.

Diamond will not stand in the way of any charges that are eager to leave, but has implored the group to stay together and avoid a mass exodus until he believes that the situation cannot be resolved.

"There are lots of clubs that pay a lot of money for speakers to help them become more resilient," he said. "By good fortune or bad fate, that resilience is being built with us at the minute.

TOGETHER. Supporter messages up at the training ground. Very Kind. pic.twitter.com/KvBBNUWwZW

"We've got a very, very mature group who, over the years, seem to have been pushed from pillar to post. What I have done, hopefully, is give them some sense of belief in what we're trying to do.

"Even with what's happening on the outside, they've trained very well today. We're going to train tomorrow and we're not in control of these outside happenings.

"There are five or six players that have had offers from other clubs," Diamond added. "To a man, I've asked them to refrain from being desperate at the minute. Those clubs can wait for three or four more days.

"I've said to the players: 'Until I give you the nod, we're still at Worcester.' Once anything else becomes patently clear to me, I will articulate that to them.

"I've told the lads today that I will be the first one to ring other clubs for them if that happens."

Diamond joined Worcester last year, initially as a consultant, after a decade at Sale Sharks to follow stints with England Saxons and Saracens. In two decades of coaching, this is the most fraught time he has known.

Having recruited players from around the world to Worcester ahead of this season, including Italy back-rower Renato Giammarioli and Argentina prop Santiago Medrano, Diamond is determined to make Warriors into a competitive outfit capable of qualifying for the European Champions Cup. On Monday evening, he laid out the human cost of the organisation folding.

"I left Sale after a long time and I was sacked at Saracens and, if I'm honest, you look at yourself and ask how you could have done things differently and how you could learn," Diamond said.

"This case is worse than any of those. There are perhaps 250 people going to lose their jobs if it doesn't go right. There are people who work on the rugby side and their wives work on the commercial side. Whole families are wrecked.

"People have come from Italy, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia as well as people who have been at the club man and boy who are going through this state of limbo.

"If it comes out good, it'll be great for Worcester. If it doesn't, it'd be one of the tragedies of professional rugby."

Despite the high stakes, Diamond described his outlook as optimistic. On Friday it was revealed that Adam Hewitt, a long-term partner of Worcester, had stumped up cash to fund the pre-season trip to Inverness and Warriors are still looking ahead to their Premiership encounter against London Irish on September 10.

"I'm always hopeful," Diamond finished. "I've got the main sponsor to pay for flights and hotels for Friday night. And we're cracking on. Until we're told differently, we're cracking on."

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mardi 30 août 2022 00:06:34 Categories: The Telegraph

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