Richard Hill praised the strength in depth and spirit within the Worcester squad after the Cavaliers claimed a hard-fought victory over Exeter United on Monday night.
The Cavaliers – the new name for the A team at Sixways – secured a 29-24 success at Sandy Park after tries from Tom Leach, Josh Drauniniu, Mike Penn and Alex Crockett.
The manner of the performance delighted Hill, who watched from the stands with Forwards Coach Phil Davies, and also threw up some more selection questions for the Head Coach.
“I learnt we have got some good strength in depth and a lot of spirit in the team from that performance,” admitted Hill. “Exeter had a good side out, probably more experienced than we did up front, but the effort the players showed was tremendous.
“For our A team to go to Exeter and get a result like that was terrific to watch. It keeps that winning feeling going in the club. The team that went down to Exeter took a boost from the win at the weekend over Sale and you could see that they were trying to emulate that.
“The one person who stood out for me, although they all played very well, was Alex Crockett,” added Hill.
“He has been blighted by minor injuries over the last few weeks, but he was outstanding and scored one of the tries of the season. He scuttled in from 60 metres and it was a tremendous effort.
“I liked the fact that he was one of the senior players in the side and led by example. That was one of the best games I have seen him play so he has certainly pushed himself into contention. Tom Arscott played very well and Danny Gray impressed me at No.10.”
One player, though, he appears to be out of contention for the Gloucester derby game on Saturday at Kingsholm is full back Chris Pennell who was forced off just before the hour at Exeter.
“Chris Pennell tweaked a hamstring,” revealed Hill. “He had a little bit of a problem with it against the Cornish Pirates and seemed to be okay, but he has tweaked it. It’s not serious but will almost certainly rule him out of this weekend.
“I’m disappointed for Chris because he is desperate to come back and play well. He needed to put two or three games together to get his form back. He is a fantastic player and I know he is bitterly disappointed that it happened against Exeter.
“I feel very sorry for him and we want him back playing at the top of his game, he is a tremendous player who is experienced at this level.”