TO be sent out on loan by the club that employs you sounds like a demotion in anyone's book.

Yet such is the way of things that Dave Sims, Jamie Connolly and Duncan Hughes have actually found themselves promoted overnight from Premiership Two Worcester to Premiership One Bedford.

Their last acts with Worcester were as replacements at Waterloo -- a game which attracted 451 spectators many of whom had travelled up from Worcester.

Today Sims and Hughes will be on the bench again, but this time they will be hoping to play in front of 7,000 fans packed into Bath's Recreation ground -- some demotion!

Last season Sims and Connolly played in Premiership One with Gloucester and West Hartlepool respectively but for Hughes, a player who joined Worcester aged eight, it is a new chapter in his career.

"It's a change of fortune and I'm looking forward to the challenge of Premiership One rugby," said Hughes.

"We've gone from a game against West Hartlepool, who are not doing so well, to playing against Bath, one of the top British clubs.

"I played division one in Wales for three seasons with Cardiff, Swansea and Llanelli but I've never played division one in England so I'm chuffed about it.

"I just want to get out there and see what it's all about."

Connolly will be playing for Bedford's seconds at home to London Welsh but the feeling of unity between the Worcester trio remains.

All three played together in a trial match against Banbury last weekend and impressed enough to secure loan deals at the start of this week.

They now spend Mondays, Tuesday and Wednesdays training all day at Bedford, have Thursdays off and then have a quick pre-match session on Fridays.

"It obviously helps with the travel arrangements and the fact you're not on your own as a newcomer," added Hughes. "But as with most clubs we've been made to feel very welcome and we know players from playing against them or with them in representative sides.

"We're with Bedford until the end of the season but as for the future I don't know, it's a matter of waiting and seeing."

Bedford lost by just four points when they hosted Bath in November but the Worcester men still join a club without a single point from 11 games.

Their future in Premiership One is under great threat and they are looking certain to face a play-off against Leeds, Rotherham or possibly Worcester.

They will not be allowed to play against Worcester so they basically are chasing a Premiership One place ahead of Rotherham and Leeds.

Everything and nothing has changed -- but if they bring in franchises well who knows?