Cameron Neild insists physical rather than financial survival will be on Worcester’s minds when he captains English rugby’s crisis club today.
Cash-Strapped Warriors play at London Irish unsure what even next week holds after being hit by a winding-up petition by HMRC over unpaid tax and having their accounts frozen.
Somehow they have made it to the start line and Steve Diamond’s players are determined that having got this far they won’t feel sorry for themselves.
“When you cross the white line, you aren’t thinking about what’s coming into your bank at the end of month,” said Neild.
“You’re thinking about the guy that’s coming head-first into you and how you can put him back on his arse.”
Neild is one of for summer signings to start at the Gtech Stadium where it just so happens Worcester beat Irish to win the Premiership Cup final on their last road trip.
Their fortunes have plummeted since then to the point that Diamond urged his side to use the game as a job application in case the situation at Sixways can’t be resolved.
“It has been pretty stressful, I am not going to pretend otherwise,” said former England star Matt Kvesic. “At home it is not ideal. I have got a little lad and there is worry about the future.
“But we don't want people to feel sorry for us, nor to feel sorry for ourselves. We don’t want to be victims of this. We are rugby players, we will go out and do the job.
“We are not here to make the numbers up. If Irish are better than us on the day, then fine. We are not going to just go there, roll over and have our bellies tickled.”
