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Garvey`s European motivation

Tuesday 20th May 2008

Getting the hump: Garvey wants to avenge his Gloucester nightmare

As Worcester prepare to take on Bath in Sunday's European Challenge Cup Final, wing Marcel Garvey has plenty of added motivation.

When Gloucester won the same tournament two years ago Garvey, who was then a Cherry and White, missed out on the final - having fallen out of favour with Director of Rugby Dean Ryan.

He played in all six of Gloucester's pool matches, scoring three tries, but a differing of views with Ryan meant that by the time the knockout stages came around he was all but done at Gloucester.

A few months later Garvey was on his way to Worcester, but not before he watched his former club dump his present club out of the Challenge Cup in the semi-finals. Not only that but his medal ended up in some rather unlikely hands.

"I played a lot of games when Gloucester got to the final a few years ago, but missed the semi-final and the final because I had left the club," Garvey told The Birmingham Post.

"I'd like to make up for that - it was disappointing that my winners' medal went to the kit man."

Garvey hopes to make up for that on Sunday when Worcester meet Bath - ironically at Gloucester's Kingsholm.

"If I could now go on and win a medal in the European Challenge Cup, it would be one of the highlights of my career. The final will be a big occasion and anyone can win on the day," he said.

It won't just be a winner's medal on offer for Worcester though, if they win they will secure a place in the Heineken Cup for the first time in the club's history.

"If we can go on and win this competition and get a place in the Heineken Cup next year, it would be a great challenge," Garvey added.

"It would showcase a lot of the boys' talents and hopefully we'll have the squad to do it next year.

"There are players coming in to the squad and hopefully more to be announced soon - we'll then go forward from there.

"But, first and foremost, we've got to keep building as a team - finishing higher up the Premiership and playing to the best of our ability will be our main aim."