Ryan ready to give Gilbert a chance - The Worcester Observer

Ryan ready to give Gilbert a chance

Worcester Editorial 18th Sep, 2014 Updated: 19th Oct, 2016   0

WORCESTER Warriors are willing to bide their time over a decision to offer trialist Mat Gilbert a permanent deal at the club.

The 28-year-old, who played for Worcester Cavaliers on Monday, has been training at Sixways since the experienced back row was released by Bath earlier this month.

Director of rugby Dean Ryan said his arrival was not something he intended to happen as he revealed the former Llanelli Scarlets flanker, who is one of the only deaf players in professional rugby, approached him over a trial.

But the Warriors boss said he would consider holding further talks with Gilbert over a full-time contract if he continued to impress in training and for the Cavaliers.




“We know a couple of people who know him and he just said ‘I have not played for eight or nine months can I get a game and keep myself fit, and we said ‘yes’,” Ryan said. “It was not intentional.

“People who take opportunities have a great chance here and he did not do a bad job at sticking a marker down.


“Also, when you have got Kitch (Andrew Kitchener) and Huw Taylor it is quite nice to have someone as calm and as good as Mat.

“Hopefully he will hang around a bit longer, play next week and if he keeps doing what he is doing then we will have to have more conversations about him because he has been great for us.”

Ryan has described Bath’s decision to let Gilbert go at this stage in the season as “unfair” after a two year career at The Rec, which saw him rack up 19 first team appearance.

“You don’t have to be particularly insightful to see the money they are spending on their front end players is going to squeeze people out of the back and Mat ends up being on those people,” he added.

“I think people should be better at Maths so they are not waiting until the last minute of their wage cap submission to work out that someone is going to lose their job.

“We have not given him a job, but we have given him a place to put a marker down. Whether that is for here or for other people to come and see him. At the moment we are getting the benefit of it, but we do not know where that will go.”

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