Worcester director of rugby Mike Ruddock says he is still proud of his players after their 20-17 loss to Northampton.
Worcester boss disappointed with Walker sin-binning
Worcester director of rugby Mike Ruddock was eager to take the positives from his side's 20-17 defeat by Northampton at Franklin's Gardens.
The Warriors held a commanding 17 point lead at one point in the first-half but a comeback from the Saints eventually condemned them to defeat.
Ruddock's side were not helped when stand-off Willie Walker was sin-binned in the closing stages, forcing Worcester to try and fight off relentless pressure from their opponents with 14 men.
Although the former Wales coach stopped short of criticising referee Chris White, he admitted that the decision disappointed him.
"Walker felt he was ok in the tackle area but referees have to make a call in the heat of the moment," Ruddock said.
Hope
"The referee is very experienced and we have to support his decision. I felt we could hang on and we could win ugly but the loss of Walker was crucial as they were able to outflank us for the winning try."
Worcester had been tipped as relegation candidates before the season but Ruddock was delighted with the way his players tried to prove the doubters wrong.
He added: "I'm very proud of my players. A lot of people are writing us off as no-hopers but we certainly showed a lot of hope today.
"Our defence was rock solid, we tackled everything around the fringes but couldn't cope with being outflanked at the end.
"There were nine academy players in our squad today and three of them combined superbly for Miles Benjamin's try when Greg King and Alex Grove linked superbly.
"We deserved at least a draw today and the players are very down."
Nervy
Northampton coach Jim Mallinder admitted that his side suffered from nerves in the opening stages of their first match of the season.
But the 43-year-old did not panic during his half-time team-talk, believing that his side's territory and possession would eventually pay-off.
"It was a nervous performance but it is always good to start with a win, especially at home," Mallinder said.
"I told the players to keep playing. We were playing most of the rugby, had most of the possession but had given away a soft interception try."
Mallinder singled out Shane Geraghty for praise after the former London Irish player had to take up kicking duties following the replacement of Stephen Myler due to injury.
"He made quite an impression, he had a good game and when he moved into number 10 was very composed and kicked the vital goals," he added.
"We like to play open rugby we will continue to play open rugby. We wanted to play the game at pace today as Worcester wanted to slow down the game once they had a healthy lead."
