HEAD coach Carl Hogg anticipates “a good battle” “throughout the year” between Worcester Warriors fly-halves Ryan Lamb and Tom Heathcote.

Lamb has shown “a degree of consistency” in Warriors’ opening two Aviva Premiership matches against Saracens and Gloucester.

Hogg insists former Bath player Heathcote, who was Warriors’ first choice number 10 last term, will get his chance at “some point”.

Lamb previously claimed he had a “new lease of life” under the new regime at Sixways.

Lamb, 30, has admitted it was “hard” last season not being able to break into the “vision” of then Warriors director of rugby Dean Ryan.

Hogg said: “I think Ryan (Lamb) has shown a degree of consistency and he’s defended better and made some good decisions, especially coming out of our half.

“That’s some of the areas we’ve challenged Ryan in and now it’s about saying to Tommy (Heathcote) ‘OK, if that’s Ryan’s level, how can we raise the bar?’

“You want competition across the whole group and that’s what we are trying to foster. Ryan has played particularly well but at some point Tommy will get his chance to put his marker down too and I think that competition is healthy.”

Lamb is just six points short of reaching the 1,000-point milestone for the Premiership and the former Gloucester player could achieve the feat in Saturday’s trip to Bath (3pm).

“We looked at both Ryan and Tommy during pre-season and both went well and I thought Ryan just was able to get the jersey marginally over Tommy,” Hogg said.

“We want to create competition for places – not just at stand-off but throughout the squad. It will be a good battle between Ryan and Tommy throughout the year.”