Worcester's season has been an endless succession of near misses and the same story prevailed to the bitter end in Yorkshire today. Relegation from the Guinness Premiership after a six-year stay was described as "a hammer blow" by the disconsolate Warriors' captain, Pat Sanderson, yet in truth this has been waiting to happen for several months. Three wins in 21 league games hardly qualifies Sanderson's side as helpless victims.
Leeds, on the other hand, had every right to be ecstatic. In terms of quality this contest was about £999,500 short of fulfilling its billing as a 'million-pound match' but the consequences of the fly-half Ceiron Thomas's four first-half penalties will be far-reaching. Not only do the club now qualify for the same shareholding as all the other main Premiership sides but Neil Back confidently expects to confirm half a dozen signings as he pursues his mission to hoist Leeds into the top six by this time next year.
It is a thoroughly deserved outcome based on the season as a whole. Leeds, like all good marathon runners, kept something in reserve for the closing weeks whereas the Warriors have managed only one league win in 2010. In retrospect the real damage was done either side of Christmas when Mike Ruddock's team somehow contrived to come away with four draws in five games. This chronic inability to close out games was maintained to the end, as Sanderson acknowledged afterwards. "It's an incredibly ruthless league and that's the one big lesson we've got to learn," said the former England flanker, forced to sit out today's game through injury.
The Worcester owner, Cecil Duckworth, looks unlikely to err on the side of clemency when it comes to Ruddock's future, with Dean Ryan reportedly lined up as the new director of rugby at Sixways. Ruddock did his best to present a brave face – "I'll have a chat with the chairman and see what he thinks" – but the Warriors can expect to be playing Championship rugby under new management next September, barring a rethink on the size of the Premiership or the promoted team failing to meet the entry criteria.
Premier Rugby's chief executive, Mark McCafferty, has confirmed a 14-team Premiership is an increasing possibility from 2012 but that decision may yet be accelerated if Exeter Chiefs win promotion and it is felt too costly to exclude Worcester and Bristol, both full shareholders and entitled to a significant slice of Premier Rugby's revenues.
Huge sighs of relief were audible on the other side of the Pennines, this ugly mugging of the Warriors having saved Sale from possible relegation on the final weekend. Leeds did not score a point after the 25th minute but only when Alex Grove benefited from a lucky bounce following Matthew Jones's 70th-minute cross-kick did a Worcester win appear remotely feasible. Jones subsequently miscued a long-range penalty attempt from his own half and, with the final play of the game, had a drop-goal attempt charged down by Kearnan Myall. The Leeds replacement Tom Denton duly booted the loose ball in the general direction of row Z and that was that.
If Worcester's sombre post-match huddle, with Sanderson doing his best to rally his troops, hinted at closeness in adversity, it proved an illusion. After the Warriors trudged across to thank their travelling fans in a crowd of over 10,000– a season's record for Leeds – there was an ugly altercation between their flanker Chris Cracknell and the father of one of his team-mates, the replacement James Collins. Collins Sr was left bloodied with Cracknell, who has represented England at sevens, apparently having to be restrained. A Worcester spokesman indicated there would be a club investigation but declined further comment.
If only the Warriors had shown the same on-field striking intent during the campaign. No side in the bottom half have conceded fewer tries but scoring them proved their achilles heel. It was much the same again today against a Leeds side quite happy to encourage death by suffocation, particularly following the late withdrawal of their star flanker Hendre Fourie with a calf problem.
Back, whose wife, Ali, was too nervous to attend today's game, has never set out to make Leeds the prettiest of teams and few visitors have enjoyed the deliberately narrowed confines of the Headingley pitch or the thunderous bursts of Alfie To'oala and Seru Rabeni up the inside channels. First-half rain played into Leeds' hands, frustrating the likes of the visiting winger Chris Pennell, whose father Graham Dilley, the former England fast bowler, helped Ian Botham secure a famous Headingley win over Australia in 1981. This time, however, no great escape was forthcoming.
Leeds Carnegie Goodridge; Fa'afili, Burrell, Rabeni, Blackett; Thomas, Mathie; MacDonald, Titterrell (Nilsen, 71), Gomez (Swainston, 59), Lund, Wentzel (capt), Myall, Oakley, To'oala.
Pens Thomas 4.
Worcester Latham (capt); Pennell, Grove, Tuitupou (Rasmussen, 77), Garvey; Walker (M Jones, 56), Arr (Silver, 44); A Black (C Black, 55), Lutui (Fortey, 64), Taumoepeau (Sourgens, 75), Rawlinson, Kitchener (Gillies, 56), Horstmann, Cracknell (Collins, 78), Talei.
Try Grove. Con M Jones. Pen Walker.
Referee D Pearson (Northumberland). Attendance 10,146.
