The place are they now? The final Worcester group earlier than the collapse

The place are they now? The final Worcester group earlier than the collapse



Tuesday morning was a pointy reminder of the pitfalls of Gallagher Premiership rugby, Tub asserting an hour earlier than they unveiled Finn Russell as a brand new signing for 2023/24 that their latest recruit, Billy Searle of Worcester, had exited the membership simply 5 days earlier than Christmas.

It was the summer season of 2020 when the ex-Wasps and Bristol out-half arrived at Sixways with excessive hopes of accomplishment at Worcester solely to seek out himself unemployed two years later when the financially stricken membership went to the wall.

The October 5 insolvency court docket liquidation of the corporate that held the membership’s participant contracts was the ultimate straw, Choose Nicholas Briggs making an order winding up WRFC Gamers Ltd eleven days after Worcester had performed their final Premiership match.

Twelve-and-a-half weeks on from that 39-5 September 24 win over Newcastle, RugbyPass has investigated what has since occurred to the matchday 23 that fielded towards the Falcons and the way they’ve fared within the bottleneck participant recruitment market.

Seven of that Worcester 23 are at the moment contracted to Premiership golf equipment, six are unattached free brokers, 5 have moved into the URC, three are taking part in within the English Championship, whereas one has gone to Japan and one other to the High 14:

15. Jamie Shillcock
It was October 21 when the 25-year-old full-back was snapped up by Tub as short-term damage cowl. He made only a single look, beginning towards Leicester within the November 11 Premiership win at The Rec however he exited the membership 16 days later for a contract in Japan with the Mitsubishi Dynaboars, for whom he debuted final weekend off the bench versus Black Rams Tokyo.

14. Alex Hearle
The 24-year-old winger was a part of a three-player signing from Worcester unveiled by Gloucester on October 17. He has since made three Premiership appearances off the bench earlier than beginning each the Kingsholm membership’s video games within the Heineken Champions Cup. The 20-year-old centre Seb Atkinson, one of many different gamers who made the change with Hearle to Gloucester, has featured in all three of the membership’s December video games, whereas 19-year-old hooker Finn Theobald-Thomas has performed within the Prem Cup.

13. Ollie Lawrence
It was October 2 when Worcester director of rugby Steve Diamond tweeted that Lawrence was one in every of 4 gamers becoming a member of Tub on mortgage with quick impact, a change that turned everlasting on an unspecified size contract every week later after the out-of-favour England centre had starred on his debut versus Gloucester. The 23-year-old has thus far made eight Tub appearances, shortly turning into a fan favorite at The Rec.

12. Francois Venter
The 31-year-old former Springboks centre – who signed for Worcester in 2018 – was unveiled as a Sharks signing on October 16 and he has since fitted in swiftly, beginning 5 matches for the Durban-based URC franchise within the league and within the Heineken Champions Cup.

11. Duhan van der Merwe
The 27-year-old was one of many first ex-Worcester gamers to safe his future because the 2021 Lions tour choose dedicated to rejoining Edinburgh simply hours after turning into a free agent with the October 5 insolvency court docket determination. He had since performed 4 occasions for the Scottish URC membership within the league and Europe whereas beginning all 4 Scotland video games within the latest Autumn Nations Sequence.

10. Billy Searle
It was 16 days after Worcester gamers all turned free brokers in early October that the 26-year-old our-half was signed as damage cowl by Tub together with full-back Shillcock. He scored 5 factors on his debut however that November 5 Premiership win at Newcastle proved to be his solely look for the membership as he was injured in that match and was launched by Tub on Tuesday.

9. Gareth Simpson
Having began all three Worcester matches this season earlier than their collapse, the scrum-half stored his eye in with a brief stint at Saracens as damage cowl for Aled Davies. He performed two Premiership video games in early November earlier than linking up with the Barbarians for his or her three video games versus top-flight English golf equipment. Now a free agent once more, there’s hypothesis he’ll grow to be a everlasting Saracens signing for the 2023/24 season.

1. Murray McCallum
Capped by Scotland in 2018, the 26-year-old was one other Warriors participant who pitched up for the Barbarians throughout their November membership tour in England. The loosehead is now again to being a free agent and seeking to type out a membership for 2023.

2. Curtis Langdon
The 2021 England worldwide was solely a summer season 2022 recruit at Worcester, Diamond going again to his previous membership Sale to signal the hooker. Nonetheless, the 25-year-old’s Warriors profession lasted simply three video games however he shortly organised work elsewhere, becoming a member of Perpignan on October 19 and occurring to play 4 video games thus far for the French membership within the High 14 and Europe.

3. Jay Tyack
It was October 28 when phrase broke that the 26-year-old tighthead had been signed by Bristol, as he had been named on their bench for that weekend’s Premiership sport at Northampton. He has thus far made six appearances for the Bears, together with two within the Problem Cup.

4. Joe Batley
It solely took the lock a day after he turned a free agent to type out a deal elsewhere, re-joining Bristol on October 6, the membership he had beforehand performed for in the course of the Pat Lam period earlier than arriving at Sixways by way of Leicester and Hartpury. The 26-year-old has been a starter in all of his seven Premiership and Problem Cup video games again on the Ashton Gate membership.

5. Andrew Kitchener
It was October 11 when Saracens snapped up the 26-year-old lock on a short-term deal together with Worcester winger Tom Howe. He has since made three Premiership appearances for the Londoners, together with a November begin versus Northampton.

6. Fergus Lee-Warner
The 28-year-old Australian was one other of Diamond’s summer season signings for the 2022/23 season, arriving from Western Power solely to quickly discover himself out of labor. That idleness didn’t final lengthy because the lock/back-rower was one of many 4 gamers shortly signed by Tub on an injury-dispensation mortgage firstly of October. That deal has since been made everlasting for the rest of the 2022/23 season and he thus far has made seven appearances for his new membership.

7. Cameron Neild
Identical to hooker Langdon, the 28-year-old back-rower was a summer season signing from Sale, Diamond’s previous membership, the place he had spent eight seasons. One other who began all three Worcester video games earlier than they folded, Neild was named as a brand new Glasgow signing on November 15 and he made his debut the opposite week versus Tub within the Problem Cup.

8. Tom Dodd
The 25-year-old was one other ahead to shortly organise his post-Worcester future as he was unveiled as a brand new signing by Coventry, the English Championship membership, on October 13, eight days after turning into a free agent.

Replacements:
16. Hame Faiva
The 28-year-old Italian worldwide hooker was one other of Diamond’s high-profile summer season signings, the previous Auckland Blues participant becoming a member of Worcester from Benetton. His Warriors profession amounted to simply 86 minutes, although, and he stays a free agent.

17. Kai Owen
The 23-year-old loosehead beforehand performed within the Championship for Leeds and Coventry and he shortly enlisted for second-tier responsibility when turning into an October 7 Doncaster signing for the rest of 2022/23.

18. Jack Owlett
It was 2021 when the 27-year-old swapped Wasps for Worcester and having but to safe his future, he has been one of the vital vocal gamers in latest weeks in publicising the Warriors’ plight because the membership’s RPA consultant. It was November 24 when he addressed a Authorities choose committee, stating: “I hope at present is step one within the much-needed reform of the governance of rugby.”

19. Graham Kitchener
The 33-year-old older brother of fellow ahead Andrew, Graham continues to be a free agent regardless of exhibiting what he has to supply when touring England final month with the Barbarians.

20. Matt Kvesic
The previous England worldwide opted to hitch Zebre Parma, the Italian-based URC franchise, on November 16 for the rest of this season. The 30-year-old has gone on to play 4 occasions thus far for his new group.

21. Will Chudley
The seasoned 34-year-old scrum-half joined Worcester from Tub on a two-year deal in 2021. It was seven days after the Warriors gamers had been all made free brokers on the October 5 insolvency court docket that he was named as a brand new Coventry signing for the 2022/23 Championship.

22. Oli Morris
The Irish-qualified 23-year-old midfielder, who made a try-scoring debut for Worcester in Russia in November 2019, was snapped up by Munster on October 25 till the tip of this season. He’s nonetheless ready to make a debut, nonetheless.

23. Noah Heward
The 22-year-old former England age-grade participant noticed his again three versatility turn out to be useful as Bristol snapped him up on October 31 on a two-year deal.

  • Some huge names who didn’t characteristic within the final match performed by Worcester had been Fin Smith and Rory Sutherland. The younger out-half has since moved to Northampton,  taking up from the now-departed Dan Biggar, whereas 2021 Lions prop Sutherland was snapped up by Ulster within the URC.