Richard Hill has called on his Worcester Warriors to make a strong start in the first leg of the RFU Championship against a dangerous and talented Cornish Pirates team in Penzance on Wednesday night (kick-off 7.45pm).
Head Coach Hill is eager for his side to avoid any repeat of the nerve-shredding semi-final victory over Bedford Blues as they prepare for a two-legged final.
The Sixways chief insists his team must aim to make a strong start in the away leg against a Pirates side that will be backed by a vocal home support and who have an outstanding record at The Mennaye Field.
“You look at the two legs almost as two halves of the game, but it is so crucial that you try and win your first game. Bristol found that out last year,” said Hill.
“If you are content with losing by the odd three or six points then that is not good enough. The one that wins the first leg is in pole position so the first game is crucial.
“None of us want to go through that semi-final experience again,” he added. “It was great drama for the neutral supporter, but for those involved it was quite painful. The players know we do not want to go through that kind of scenario again.
“The majority of games we have had a good start. The times when we have struggled we have just about come back.
“Away at Bristol we were down and came back from it, at Pirates away in the league we were down at half-time and managed to come back and win. Even Pirates here when we almost did the Houdini act.
“At the weekend against Bedford we are 16-0 down and 19-3 down in a semi-final. But if you do that you put yourselves under huge pressure.
“We have got to learn that when we play the first leg down at Pirates we have got to start well because I firmly believe that if we go 16-0 down against them down at their place then we are not going to come back.”
Hill also firmly believes his players will have a different mindset as they face a Cornish Pirates team that have produced two thrilling league games against Warriors, with little to choose between the clubs.
“I didn’t see visible signs of complacency last week, but the last time we played Bedford here we won without letting them score,” he said. “Maybe that was in the back of our mind, certainly when we were 16-0 down we thought we better start playing.
“With Pirates the mindset will be different and since January 1 we thought this might be the final. They are a very good side who are playing well. They are also a very physical team and we had some very tough battles against them, they are the only team to beat us in the league.
“We know, without doing any preparation, we must be keyed up for it. If we go in with any complacency then they will beat us. We will have to handle the pressure and make sure our skills are better.
“We have good selection problems ahead of the game,” he concluded. “Jake Abbott is back to full fitness and playing well, Chris Pennell is back fit, which is good news as he is our captain, and Adam Balding has got over his toe injury. We have more of a selection headache.”
Tickets remain on sale for the second leg of the RFU Championship final against Cornish Pirates at Sixways on Wednesday, May 18 (kick-off 7.45pm). Over 7,500 tickets already sold! Call the Warriors Box Office on 01905 454183 or click HERE to buy online.