Warriors received a special guest visitor in preparation for the Leicester Tigers clash when Falklands War hero Simon Weston arrived at Sixways Stadium.
The former Welsh Guardsman is a friend of Director of Rugby Mike Ruddock and Clive Griffiths and was invited to the Guinness Premiership club to talk to the first team squad about his experiences.
Weston suffered horrific burns during an attack on the Sir Galahad during the Falklands War in 1982. He has since become well known as across the nation for his struggle to overcome his injuries – 49% burns – and redefine his role in life.
Weston’s road to physical, spiritual and mental recovery saw him active in a number of highly successful ventures including ‘The Weston Spirit’, a Liverpool-based young people’s charity. He remains a tireless worker for the Royal British Legion and the Royal Star and Garter Home. His charitable work earned him an OBE in the 1992 Queen’s Birthday Honours.
Ruddock admitted the players had been moved by his message of achievement, triumph over adversity, seizing the moment and succeeding.
“We invited Simon to the club to talk to the players as he knows Clive Griffiths and myself, he was delighted to come along and chat about his experiences in Kenya, Northern Ireland and the Falklands War,” he said.
“He described how he worked as part of a battalion that went into battle and worked as a team and stood strong for each other to come home victorious. The Warriors have experienced a difficult start to the season but this was a real rallying call for them.
“Simon spoke passionately about his experiences and about staying strong and backing yourself. It showed the players if you believe in yourself you can overcome any obstacle.”