AS THE minutes tick by on Dean Ryan’s watch Worcester Warriors’ time as an Aviva Premiership side appears to be quickly running out.
A promising showing against Leicester Tigers followed by a battling display against Northampton Saints, seemed to put Ryan’s men on track to clocking up their first win of the season.
But, instead, the alarm bells were ringing at Sixways on Saturday when Sale Sharks powered into an 11-0 lead after just 12 minutes.
Although Mariano Galarza struck twice for Warriors in the second half, Ryan said the damage was done in the early exchanges as they went on to lose 24-12.
The defeat also leaves Warriors 12 points adrift of Newcastle Falcons and Ryan knows time is going against his side, with just seven games remaining.
“I am struggling to understand the way we started today as we have done everything to make sure we are in the right place for this game,” he said.
“We looked paralysed for the first 20 minutes and we did the same against Newcastle and London Irish.
“We are struggling to be competitive unless we are on an emotional high, but if we can’t sustain those highs given the scenario we are in then I am left with few options and there aren’t many places we can turn to find the answer.
“We haven’t got long left – the clock is ticking – and if we can’t solve whatever it is that freezes us at the start of games then we are easily writing the outcome of this season.”
And the writing appeared to be on the wall in the first five minutes as Danny Cipriani opened his side’s account before the visitors crossed the whitewash.
After David Seymour skipped through a gap, Sam Tuitupou and prop Eifion Lewis-Roberts drove forward before the ball was moved wide and Mark Cueto dotted down in the corner.
Cipriani missed the conversion, but the fly half soon made amends with a penalty from distance to move his side 11-0.
Warriors’ pack, which included fit-again prop Euan Murray, was having a torrid time, while not even Sixways star Chris Pennell could hit the heights he has so consistently set as he twice struck penalty efforts wide.
Worcester were desperate to cut back the deficit as they remained camped in Sale’s half for long periods. But to the frustration of the home crowd they could not find a way through.
Even when hooker Agustin Creevy crossed the whitewash just before the break, the TV match official found that the ball had been held up.
And to further compound the home side’s misery, Cipriani landed a simple penalty before Sale scored their second try at the start of the second half.
A powerful scrum once again laid the platform as skipper Baird burrowed over from close range, which Cipriani converted to put Sharks 21-0 in front.
It left Worcester needing three converted tries to tie the game and they began their fight back when Galarza scored in the corner with 18 minutes remaining.
Pennell missed the conversion and any hopes of getting anything out of the contest were all but ended when Nick Macloed slotted home a penalty.
Galarza crashed over under the posts after Jeremy Su’a’s scintillating run and Ryan Lamb added the extras, but it was too little too late.