Pat Sanderson – Fiercer Than Usual

A word of advice. If you sense that Pat Sanderson starts the new season with a fiercer-than-usual fire in his belly, and you have the opportunity to mention it to him, don’t.

While you’d be right to link the burning desire for action to England’s misadventure Down Under, it would be thoughtless to broach the subject.
Neither the 34-3 defeat in Sydney, nor – sshh! – the 43-18 coup-de-grace in Melbourne a week later, were part of the plan when he accepted the “massive honour” of leading his country. And it still hurts.
“I haven’t thought about it much since we got back, to be honest,” he says, during in a break in pre-season training. “It was a tough summer. They’d been together for some time and looked very prepared for it, and we weren’t, on reflection.
“But we did the very best we could, given the circumstances, and I guess, in time, I’ll look back on it with fond memories. Right now, it still smarts.”
So, bad news for England, but great news for Warriors fans, as he knows only one way to ease the pain.
“How do you react to things like that? From my point of view, work harder, come back fitter, stronger, and start the season really well with Worcester, which I’m looking forward to.”
After returning from Oz, he had a couple of weeks off with wife Nicky and 17-week-old son Max, but was bursting to swap – whisper it – the Telstra Dome for Sixways and catch up with the changes on and off the practice pitch, the most telling being new fitness chief Keir Hansen’s all-action conditioning regime.
“I don’t do breaks,” the Warriors skipper confesses. “If the lads are here and in training, I like to be with them. So far, it’s been brilliant. The backroom staff are doing a fantastic job. Massively professional. The lads have total confidence in them and, as a result, they work really hard. Everyone’s looking really, really fit.
“And the new faces are fitting in well, as you’d expect. That’s one of the main criteria. First and foremost, John and Anthony pick guys who suit the squad environment, and that’s great.”
He knows there’s a hard season ahead, one in which the looming World Cup will grab increasing headlines. But a man who oddly started last term outside England coach Andy Robinson’s elite squad, yet ended it as captain, already has his head round that one.
“My objective is to play well for Worcester. You can’t look any further than that, because you’ve got no control over anything else. I hope, if we do that, good things will come.”
Good things will come? He only has to hear baby Max stirring in the small hours to know the truth in those words.
So, if you do feel moved to ask him about Sydney and Melbourne, mention broken nights first and watch his face light up.
“I’m lucky,” Pat laughs. “To be honest, he’s never a chore. Whenever I get up, he’s always smiling, so I really don’t mind. He’s bought nothing but happiness to us.”


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