Andrew Stanley praised Worcester Warriors for digging deep in difficult circumstances as the team secured a last-gasp 32-16 bonus point cup victory over Currie in Scotland.
James Freeman, Willie Walker, Mike Penn and a late score from James Whybrow ensured Worcester made the long journey back from the Scottish capital with maximum points and still in the hunt for a quarter-final place in the British & Irish Cup.
A heavy pitch and incessant rain made conditions difficult for the Warriors against a pumped up Scottish side eager to impress.
And Head of Skill Development and Academy Manager Stanley was pleased as his squad passed a stern test of character to set up a winner takes all clash in Pool A with Cornish Pirates on Saturday, March 26 at Sixways/
“We have come and got the bonus point win which was our objective when we set out,” said Stanley.
“It was very difficult conditions with a wet pitch and constant rainfall. We were committed to attacking to try and achieve our goal of taking home maximum points.
“As we expected, Currie offered us a very stern test and were very committed in defence. They played from the first whistle until the last and made it very difficult for us.
“We could have got frustrated at half-time and let some indiscipline creep in, but we kept going in the second half and came away with the points.
“We had to dig deep and credit to Currie, they didn’t give us anything and made us work for every little bit of possession.
“It is credit to the boys that we kept our shape and held our nerve, we kept playing right until the end and got the reward with that bonus point try.
“We built it up as a real cup game and we needed the win. It wasn’t all about performance but more about getting the result, winner takes all.
“To come away and putting ourselves under that kind of pressure and get a win, playing in difficult conditions in an area where the pitch was wet, was a good learning curve for them.”
The cup tie also saw the playing return of England prop Matt Mullan after injury and Stanley was delighted to see his former Academy product back in a Worcester shirt in competitive action.
“It was great to see Matt back as he is a high calibre player,” he added. “He is a welcome addition to anyone’s squad and to have him back at Warriors is fantastic.
“He played the first 40 minutes for us and he is enjoying himself. He is back and on his way towards full fitness.”