Percival ready to vent frustrations (From Worcester News)

Percival ready to vent frustrations

8:30am Tuesday 21st February 2012 in Sport By Tom Guest, @tomguestWN #WENsport

JAMES Percival is desperate to put the frustration of Saturday’s 16-14 defeat at former club Harlequins behind him as Worcester Warriors switch their focus to Friday night’s huge clash with reigning champions Saracens at Sixways (7.45pm).

The never-say-die lock, who put in a barnstorming display at The Stoop, feels the result could easily have gone in Warriors’ favour and is eager for the side to bounce back on Friday.

He said: “We are looking forward to going home to Sixways to play and we need a big effort in training this week.

“A few players had injuries going into the Harlequins game and maybe that impacted on the scrums.

“We didn’t get the small margins going in our favour at Quins, but now we need to regroup and look forward. We have taken the positives from Saturday’s match and will build as a team. We are going upwards and everything is going the right way.

“The penalties against Quins killed us a little bit and we switched off at a driving line-out which gave them a try. We have to learn from that.”

Percival, inset, added: “I don’t think anyone would have given us a hope at the beginning of the season.

“People have talked about how many games Quins won on the trot, but we pushed them all the way.

“Our biggest problem is we are frustrating ourselves because we are improving that much and know where we could be even better. I’m the kind of person who never thinks anything is perfect, I am critical of how I play and I want us to get better — that is important to be the best.”

Meanwhile, prop George Beale (Bromsgrove School, Worcester and North Midlands) has been included in the England under 18 clubs and schools squad to prepare for the international against Ireland under 18 clubs in April.