HEAD coach Carl Hogg admitted ‘sport can be a great healer’ after French outfit La Rochelle faced Worcester Warriors less than 24 hours after the terror attack in Paris.
The Top 14 side were given the option to call the match off after 129 people were tragically killed in the French capital on Friday night.
But after consultation with La Rochelle, the two sides agreed to go ahead with the European Challenge Cup encounter, which saw players wear black armbands as a mark of respect and Sixways observe a minute’s silence before kick-off.
Hogg said: “Everybody feels for the Parisian people and the French nation and we just feel saddened by the events in Paris.
“Sport is a great healer. It brings communities and nations together and that is the beauty of sport. It is just a shame it has come after tragic circumstances.”
Full back Ben Howard added: “It was devastating what happened and it was nice to see the minute’s silence before the game to show our respects.
“We knew that it would create a bit of emotion for them and the same for us as it hit quite a few of our guys as well, so it was great that we could play the game.”