Solomons calls on academy Warriors to build on impressive start to campaign

WORCESTER Warriors have named three loan players in a much-changed squad for today’s match at Saracens as they look to build on impressive wins over Sale and Leicester.

Lock Lewis Bean and centre James Williams, who have been signed on a temporary basis from National One club Moseley, will start against the reigning Premiership champions with Hartpury hooker Jordan Liney named as a replacement.

Bean, a serving soldier, and Williams have played for Worcester Cavaliers in the Premiership Rugby Shield this season and also trained regularly with Warriors at Sixways.

Liney joined Hartpury during the summer from Bristol Bears’ academy.

Blindside flanker Zac Xiourouppa will make his first Warriors appearance in two years and full-back Nick David comes in for his debut.

Xiourouppa has been recalled from a loan spell with Cornish Pirates while David made his debut for Moseley, where he is dualregistered, last Saturday at Loughborough.

Hooker Beck Cutting, prop Nick Rigby and wing Alex Hearle, who are dualregistered with Hartpury, Birmingham and Solihull

and Moseley respectively, are named in a Warriors squad for the first time this season.

South Africa centre Wynand Olivier, who will captain Warriors on his 50th appearance, and Zimbabwe prop Farai Mudariki provide international experience.

Warriors’ DoR Alan Solomons has challenged his young guns to show him what they can do. He said: “There will be a number of academy players playing and given an opportunity at this level.

“For the guys that have played the bulk of these past two games there is no point in playing them as it is a six-day turnaround (to the Bath game) so we will be doing a rotation.”

Saracens have made five changes to the side that drew with Sale last weekend with scrum-half Tom Whiteley, who captained the Men in Black in Round 1, coming in as the only change in the backs.

Christopher Tolofua gets his first start of the campaign in the front row and Richard Barrington is upgraded from the replacements.

Will Skelton returns to action for the first time in three weeks and Schalk Burger takes the seven shirt. New recruits Hisa Sasagi and Chris van Zyl could make their Sarries debuts from the bench.