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.
