OTHER SPORT
DRAHM IS ON A DOWNER ONCE MORE
Shane Drahm
By Steve Bale, Rugby Correspondent
FOR Shane Drahm, Worcester’s highly strung relegation match against Saracens at Sixways today is uncomfortably familiar territory, the third time in six years playing in England he has undergone such an awful experience.
“I am a relegation king,” said the Australian fly-half, who has been here so long he became eligible for England. In 2003 Bristol went down, in 2005 Northampton stayed up. In 2007 Worcester are a point ahead of Northampton with this one to play.
Drahm, 29, is clearly not celebrating these past events but they do give him a particular insight into what awaits Worcester.
He has to assist as a stand-in full-back and, at 15 or 10, he is the creative weapon on which the Warriors rely – so the responsibility is heavy.
“We have to go out and win. We can’t go into our shell and be afraid of losing,” he said. “But not many sides would be able just to go out and throw the ball around willy-nilly when there’s so much riding on it.
“You don’t want to be the person who throws the intercept that puts you down. This is probably the most pressurised game you could ever play in, certainly more than a final.
“You want to survive but at the same time there’s nothing nice about seeing people go down. In fact, there’s probably more interest in the relegation issue than there is at the top.
“Everyone knows it is between Worcester and Northampton. I’m not sure everyone would know the contenders for the top four.” One, lest anyone really is oblivious, is Saracens and that gives this game more edge, since Sarries have never yet made the play-offs. Worcester have lock Craig Gillies back from suspension but lack Wales prop Chris Horsman with a neck injury.
Two years ago Drahm was a Northampton player who had already signed for Worcester when he arrived at Sixways, of all places, for a match that could have meant relegation to either side.
When Worcester won, Saints thought it was them. But moments later Jeremy Staunton missed the penalty that would have saved Harlequins and it fell to them to endure or enjoy a therapeutic season in National Division One. Whether it be Worcester or Northampton this time, they also can expect an instant return.
“In 2005 that game was about relegating either my new club or my current club, so it was a bit different from this,” said Drahm.
“At the time I just wanted to go out there and do the best I could. Then no one could damn me or my commitment to Northampton.
“The Bristol game against London Irish two years before that was different again, as we had been told that whether we were relegated or not we were going to be sacked. It wasn’t a great club to be involved with.”
Bristol chairman Malcolm Pearce withdrew his money and the first-team squad broke up, leaving Bristol needing a consolidation season before returning to the Premiership.
For Worcester – or Northampton – this is not a credible option and, like Quins, their players will need to stand together.
A £23million development for a 13,200 capacity at Sixways for 2008-09 will go ahead whatever today’s result. Worcester have been trying to make up lost ground ever since a porous defence led them to eight straight defeats when the Premiership opened. With four wins in February and March and losing their last two, they have the slenderest advantage over Northampton.
Drahm ascribes the reversal of fortune to the introduction of former England defensive coach Phil Larder.
“Our defence stats show that we are the second best in the league since Phil has been with us,” he said.
“We’ve gone from being the worst, and we were actually top until the last couple of games. At one stage we were nine points adrift and it has been very tough making up that kind of leeway.
“Relegation obviously wasn’t guaranteed but I guess that was when we told ourselves we had nothing to lose.”
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