Worcester Warriors return to play statement imminent

RugbyPass understands that a statement about the Warriors joining the RFU’s second tier next season could come before the end of the week as Matt Everard, their yet-to-be-confirmed head coach, continues to put a squad together at pace.

Leicester Tigers’ back row Matt Rogerson is the latest player to be linked with a move to the reformed Warriors, whose entry into the revamped Championship is expected to be announced imminently.

The Warriors admitted that the timetable would be tight to make them fit for purpose once they had satisfied the Tier 2 Board of the RFU that they’d met the requirements for a return to competitive action next season.

Lancaster-born blindside, Rogerson, 31, who was educated at Loughborough University, can play anywhere across the back row clocked up over 100 appearances for London Irish.

He joined the Tigers in 2023 after the Exiles went into administration, and three of his five appearances this season have come in the Premiership Cup. His last game for the Tigers was the Premiership win over Exeter Chiefs on January 4.

Rogerson, who started his career at Sale Sharks before dropping into the Championship with Jersey Reds, is the latest player to be linked with the Warriors ahead of their entry into the Championship.

Everard, who was Leicester Tigers’ defence coach until the start of the year, could have moves for as many as seven players lined up as he plots to compete with the likes of Ealing Trailfinders, Doncaster Knights,  Bedford and Coventry next season.

I understand that South African-born tighthead Nick Schonert, 33, who was released from his contract with Sale Sharks on Tuesday after only making one appearance this season, is another on the Warriors’ wish list.

Schonert played 110 games for Worcester and has only played one game (against Newcastle Falcons in November) since undergoing an operation on an Achilles problem last March.

Leicester Tigers’ Luton-born winger Josh Bassett, 33, who made 179 appearances for Wasps and scored 63 tries before being made redundant in October 2022, is another player on their radar.