Rob Higgitt injured for eight weeks
Worcester has been rocked by the news that experienced defensive player Rob Higgitt faces eight weeks on the treatment table.
Higgitt suffered a medial ligament injury in his knee during the 48-3 win over Esher. Higgitt has played a key role in Worcester's impressive start to the Championship season and the club must now draft
in a replacement.
"We are a little light on numbers in the centres at the moment.
Rob's knee is still quite swollen and he looks likely to be out for six to eight weeks. So, with Greg King injured too, we are two centres down,"
said head coach Richard Hill.
With Greg King also injured the club is running out of defensive players to put in the middle of the team. This is very dangerous and will cause Hill a few bad headaches
over the next couple of days.
Big problems
The club can just about cope with Higgitt being injured. Alex Crockett and Dale Rasmussen can fill in the central positions but if there are any more injuries in this area
then Hill is running out of options.
There is very little pace in the defence with Higgitt and King out of action. This could potentially cause defensive gaps to appear, which a quality opposition will be
looking for. Slower defences are forced to play deep, which invites the opposition towards the try line.
The other big danger of a thin squad is that players may be asked to play out of position. This is not ideal and it can cause these players to become alienated with the
coach.
It will be tempting to rush Higgitt back because there is no more cover at centre. This is dangerous because it could make Higgitt's injury worse, which will keep him out
of action for even longer.
Betting advice
Worcester is fortunate to have one of the higher quality squads in the Championship. The club looks strong this season and there's no reason to stop backing the side in
Higgitt's absence. Back his replacement to come in and have an impact.
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