Bath acquire two more ex-Warriors

Searle and Shillcock pen short-term contracts to cover injuries at the Rec

BATH Rugby have signed the former Worcester Warriors fly-half Billy Searle and his versatile former Sixways colleague Jamie Shillcock on short-term deals.

The duo will provide injury cover while Blue, Black & Whites trio Orlando Bailey (facial injury), Piers Francis (quad) and Tom de Glanville (hamstring) are sidelined.

Born in Exeter, Searle, pictured, experienced National League rugby with both Launceston and Plymouth Albion before enjoying spells in the top flight with Bristol, Wasps and, most recently, Worcester.

The 26-year-old has accumulated 216 points in 59 Premiership games to date, and sparked rumours of a potential move to the Rec earlier in the month when he was seen at the derby match against Gloucester Rugby on October 8.

Shillcock, who can play at fly-half or in the back three, came through the Worcester Academy and debuted aged 17 in the Championship playoff semi-final second leg against London Scottish.

Capped three times in the 2016 Under-20 Six Nations for England, the 25-year-old has been a consistent part of the Warriors side for a number of years and has so far scored a total of 182 points in 65 Premiership matches.

Searle and Shillcock become the fifth and sixth Worcester players to be signed by Bath, with the club having confirmed a long-term deal for centre Ollie Lawrence, signed flanker Fergus Lee-Warner until the end of the season and landed the England international back-rower Ted Hill and Russian international prop Valery Morozov on short-term

deals with negotiations on-going to secure them for longer.

Searle goes straight into the squad for this afternoon’s game against Northampton at the Rec, although homegrown fly-half George Worboys starts at ten – earning his maiden Premiership start.

The 21-year-old, right, has featured six times for the Blue, Black & Whites to date, all of those appearances in the Premiership Rugby Cup.

He is one of three changes to the starting XV that began last weekend’s match against Saracens. Tighthead prop Aranos Coetzee comes back in for the injured Will Stuart, while Will Butt takes his place on the wing.

The team is otherwise unchanged with try-scorers last time out Matt Gallagher and Joe Cokanasgia joining Butt in the back three, and Cameron Redpath continuing his midfield partnership with Lawrence.

Louis Schreuder is at scrum-half behind a pack including captain Tom Dunn and Juan Schoeman in the front row.

Dave Attwood and Quinn Roux retain their places in the second row and the back row of Josh Bayliss, Miles Reid and Richard de Carpentier is also consistent.

On the bench, Ted Hill could make his Bath debut alongside fellow exWarriors man Searle.

Home Premiership debuts could also be forthcoming for yet another former Worcester man in Fergus Lee-Warner, as well as youngster Tom Carr-Smith.

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