Eight-man shortlist for Warriors job

Sixways chairman Cecil Duckworth will finish assessing the eight candidates this week, but no timescale has been announced for the final decision.

Warriors general manager Charlie Little has been overwhelmed by the quality of applicants expressing an interest in replacing Mike Ruddock in the Worcester hot-seat.

He said: “The final, definitive shortlist has eight people on it. We had 33 people officially apply before we closed the doors. Five of those 33 are currently coaching in the Super 14, while 12 have had coaching involvement at international level.

“In terms of the final eight, they will now meet with the chairman — some have already done so — and those meetings will finish this week.

“We have consulted with a number of different people, including Kevin Bowring, the RFU’s head of elite coach development.

“He is employed by the RFU to assess all coaches who get to elite level and we have asked him to give us an insight and help us draw up the shortlist.”

Little also revealed the club hope to appoint someone on a two-year deal with an option for two more seasons as Worcester embark on an important period in their history.

Little added: “To win promotion, we will have to play 31 games next year in the Championship, so we want someone who is ambitious, driven and has a point to prove.

“The right person needs to drive us forward over the next three to four years. We would hope to appoint someone on a two-year contract with an option for another two years.

“We want someone who is technically very good on the training field, certainly has experience in northern hemsiphere rugby and has the ability to coach us through the Championship and back into the Premiership.”