Worcester Warriors have started the 2026-27 Championship season with two dominant performances, including a 78-12 win over newly promoted Rotherham and a 40-5 victory against Bedford at Sixways. Head coach Matt Everard, who assembled the squad from scratch before last season’s title-winning campaign, said the challenge now is to maintain those high standards as they prepare for their first away game at Richmond on Saturday.
Everard praised his team’s physical intensity, particularly in the Rotherham match. "We were really, really pleased with the intensity of our physicality particularly [against Rotherham]. I think it was 7-7 after the first quarter but we felt we were doing a lot right and we were operating in an intensity that we wanted to try to keep throughout the whole game and we managed to do that," he told BBC Hereford and Worcester.
The Warriors scored 12 tries across their first two matches, with half coming in the final 20 minutes of the Rotherham game. Everard said the impact of the replacements was crucial in sustaining that intensity and putting the match beyond doubt. "You pick a 23 for 80 minutes, you don't pick a 15 for 60 and I think that whole 23-man effort has been super," he said.
He pointed to international teams and Premiership clubs as examples of using the bench to inject energy late in games. "The international scene has led the way – Eddie Jones did it with England and you see South Africa doing it now, you see Prem teams doing it, you look at the last couple of seasons – Bath stand out for me and the impact their bench have had for the back end of the game," Everard said.
The coach confirmed he will make changes for the Richmond match, giving six of the eight players who have come off the bench in the opening rounds an opportunity to start. "Those guys that started in the last two rounds have got a reputation to uphold for the lads that have finished the game and to keep that standard and if they can take it up another step," he added.
Everard’s squad has impressed not only for their scoring but also for their collective work rate and physicality, a continuation of the momentum that saw them crowned Championship winners last season after beating Bedford in the play-off final. After their return to professional rugby union, the Warriors have settled quickly into their role as defending champions.
The team has also made structural changes off the pitch, naming Nathan Launchbury head of a new academy, aiming to build depth and talent for the future. Meanwhile, club officials have indicated there is no rush to return to the Premiership, with a focus on consolidating their position in the Championship before considering promotion.
As Worcester prepare for their first away fixture of the season, Everard’s emphasis remains on consistency and intensity. The squad’s ability to maintain their physical approach and make full use of their 23-man roster will be tested at Richmond on Saturday.
According to Yahoo Sports.
