THE head of rugby at King’s School Worcester, Jonny Mason, says the new Sixways pitch has added further excitement ahead of their crunch clash against Royal Grammar School Worcester tonight (7pm).

The two schools will meet for the 10th instalment of the Modus Challenge Cup with King’s aiming to win the title for the third successive year.

But it will be the first time in their long-standing rivalry the teams will go toe-to-toe on a synthetic surface.

Worcester Warriors installed the artificial pitch in the summer after ripping up their turf at the end of last season.

Mason says it will be a “new experience” for his players but he believes they will relish the “one-off” opportunity, which should also see them play in front of more than 3,000 fans.

“I don’t think any of our boys have had a competitive fixture on a 4G surface before so it adds to the excitement,” he said.

“But we try to keep quite a fast tempo and like to move the ball quickly, so the fact there is going to be consistency in terms of handling I don’t think will do us any harm.

“But, having not played on the surface, you don’t quite know how the boys are going to respond to the bounce of the ball and the underfoot conditions, so it is going to be even more of a one-off game because of the big crowd and going from playing grass Saturday to Saturday to then playing on a 4G pitch.”

Last year, King’s won 32-3 with Dion King getting two tries after Max Fellows and James Smalley crossed the whitewash. Flanker Smalley will captain the team, which features centre King and lock Jack Dutton, who also helped steer King’s to victory last time.

Mason added: “The build-up to the game is one of the hardest things for the boys to cope with as there is a lot of interest around the school.

“There is a lot of nervous excitement from stepping out in front of a big crowd.

“It’s a unique game in terms of the pressure and it’s about who deals with that better on the night.”

RGS, who will be captained by Nathaniel Nott, are aiming to come out on top for the first time since 2013. Former Warriors scrum-half Shaun Perry, who won 14 caps for England, has come on board to help Ben Taylor’s team prepare for the encounter.

Headmaster John Pitt is looking forward to a “fast-paced” match and hopes it raises “significant” funds for chosen charity Wooden Spoon, who aim to transform the lives of disadvantaged and disabled children and young people through rugby.

He said: “This year’s team is a lively combination of youth and experience with a back-line which, at its best, can be electric.

“As ever, the team will play for one another and represent RGS with great pride and be cheered on by the school.”

King’s: Angus Guthrie; Matt Tolley, Dion King, James Austin, Sam Lowe; Alfie Prichard, Henry Martyn-Smith; Charlie Wong, James Arnold, Duncan Drew, Jack Dutton, Archie Connor, James Smalley, George Bates, Owien Harriott-Davis. Replacements: Will Revill, Oscar Roswall-Stanley, Matt Green, Henry Pillman, Ollie Lunn, Ethan Summerwill, Ed Ashton, Matthew Kemp.

RGS: Sam Hughes; Matthew Hammond, Robert Aikman, Ben Hughes, Thomas Matthews; Alex Wheeler, Nathaniel Nott; Rory Nelson, Jacob Williams, Oliver Paley-Battersea, Edward Griffiths, Rhodri Williams, Ethan Harper, George Mann, Ollie Heeks. Replacements: Ben Challoner, Jacob Murray, Zac Elsey, Thomas Berry, Ben Selby, Benn Llewellyn, Ben Hawkes, Jon Neale.