WORCESTER director of rugby John Brain has given a vote of confidence to the players who kept the Warriors in the Premiership last season.

Not one of the ten new signings who arrived at Sixways in the close season have made the starting line-up for tomorrow's home season-opener ag-ainst neighbours Gloucester (3pm).

Tevita Tuamoepeau, Chris Fortey, Kai Horstmann, Shane Drahm and Nicolas Le Roux are all named among the replacements.

Pat Sanderson captains the side, while Matt Powell takes the number nine spot with Andy Gomarsall on the injured list. Jonny Hylton makes his first Premiership start on the wing, returning after a serious knee injury that kept him out of the squad last season.

"We have named our team based on our pre-season friendlies and feel that it is a strong line-up to take on Gloucester," said Brain.

"We have suffered some injuries during pre-season, but the 22 named are an experienced side and we are looking forward to the match."

Warriors: Delport; Hylton, Rasmus-sen, Lombard, Hinshelwood; Brown, Powell; Hickey, Sanderson, Vaili, Gillies, Collier, Horsman, Van Niekerk, Windo. Replacements: Tuamoepeau, Fortey, Murphy, Horstmann, Runciman, Drahm, Le Roux.

Gloucester's South African flanker Jake Boer has predicted 'a huge derby contest' at Sixways.

The Kingsholm player has been named in a full-strength side by head coach Dean Ryan and is relishing the first derby examination of the new season.

Ryan hands Premiership debuts to three players -- full-back Rob Thirlby, centre Mike Tindall and scrum-half Peter Richards.

England's Phil Vickery will pack down alongside Patrice Collazo and Olivier Azam in a heavy-duty front three with Mefin Davies, the Welsh international, on the bench.

But Boer said: "We know it's going to be a huge contest. It's only after the first Premiership game that you know where you really stand.

"First and foremost we are in a local derby and that always means a big confrontation, particularly in the forwards.

"We know what to expect and we also have a lot of respect for Worcester because they play good rugby and are very competitive. The clear fact is that it is down to us to try and set the standards we want."

Boer will line-up in a back row alongside skipper Adam Balding and breakaway Andy Hazell, while Adam Eustace and Alex Brown form the second-row partnership.

Richards and Ludovic Mercier -- the prolific French points scorer -- are the half-back combination, while Tindall partners fellow England international Henry Paul in the centre.

Gloucester: Thirlby; Foster, Tindall, Paul, Simpson-Daniel; Mercier, Rich-ards; Collazo, Azam, Vickery, Eustace, Brown, Boer, Hazell, Balding. Replacements: Davies, Powell, Cornwell, Buxton, Thomas, McRae, Goodridge.