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Diamond tweets five-word reply after Wasps' 'stands as one' message
By Liam Heagney
Worcester boss Steve Diamond has tweeted his reply to a tweet from Wasps, another seriously financially troubled Gallagher Premiership club. It was last Wednesday when the Coventry-based outfit filed to the High Court for the appointment of an administrator due to financial problems stemming from their inability to repay the £35million bond that has been due since last May.
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Last week’s Wasps manoeuvre bought them some negotiating time to try and come up with a short-term solution in order to keep their 2022/23 Gallagher Premiership campaign on track, but time agonisingly ran out for Worcester on Monday when the club’s hapless owners failed to meet a 5pm RFU deadline regarding assurances over finance and insurance.
Worcester were immediately suspended from all competitions and also fell into administration, a development that will potentially see them automatically relegated by the Premiership if they ever do manage a return to play.
In the meantime, Wasps posted a message for Worcester on their official Twitter account. It read: “Wasps and the entire rugby family stands as one with all the players, staff and supporters of Worcester Warriors.”
Diamond, who has become active on social media since mid-August when the HMRC winding-up petition was first issued against Worcester over an unpaid tax bill, replied: “#TOGETHER. Buzzing, thank you Wasps.”
#TOGETHER Buzzing thank you Wasps pic.twitter.com/nk1Y9elnPh
— Steve Diamond (@Steve_Dimes) September 26, 2022
It was last November when Diamond, the former long-serving Sale Sharks director of rugby, first came to work at Sixways as their lead rugby consultant alongside head coach Jonathan Thomas and under DoR Alan Solomons. Just eight weeks later, he had taken control of the on-field rugby operation as ex-Wales back-rower Thomas – who is now at Ealing – opted out and it was also announced that Diamond would succeed Solomons as DoR at the end of the 2021/22 season.
Last Saturday’s top-flight win over Newcastle, though, looks set to be the last match that will be played by Worcester for some time, leaving Diamond in limbo just ten months after he initially started to work there. His previous tweet summed up his short time at the club. “It’s been some ride with the Warriors. Loved every minute. Good night from me.”
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