ALAN Solomons has effectively been in charge of Worcester Warriors for the past two months, according to back rower David Denton.

The vastly-experienced coach arrived at Warriors in mid-October to provide extra support to Gary Gold and his backroom staff.

But Denton admitted Solomons soon commanded an influential position at the club and was not surprised to see the 67-year-old replace Gold at the helm.

“Alan has been running it pretty much since he arrived,” said Denton in response to a question from the Worcester News.

“Alan and Gary have worked very well together but I think Gary has been doing more of the administrative stuff since Solly arrived.

“I think the club wanted to get a better idea of what Solly would be like in charge and they obviously liked what they saw.”

Denton also believes Solomons’ appointment has helped to maintain stability within the squad as they gear up for Saturday’s trip to Saracens (3pm).

The 27-year-old previously worked under Solomons when the South African was boss at Edinburgh between 2013 and 2016.

“If you are going to have a change like this mid-season I think it is important that a lot of things don’t change drastically,” Denton said.

“I know Solly understands that and he has said similar things to us.

“Having worked with him before I can’t see many things that he would change drastically.

“But we will continue to look to improve and move forward over the next few weeks, months and potentially years and keep taking this club forward.”

Zimbabwean-born Denton said Gold was a “big reason” why he made the move from Bath to Warriors in the summer.

However he felt Solomons’ style of management was similar to Gold’s approach and had gone down well with the rest of his teammates.

“Gary’s ideologies line up with the way I like to play rugby and it was very exciting for me to be able to work with him,” Denton said.

“I think more than anything he is a great man manager and having worked with him I can obviously agree with that.

“More often than not you are managing a lot of big egos and on any given week you have got 25 players that aren’t involved in your matchday squad, so I think it is one of the biggest parts of the coach’s job to try to keep those players motivated.

“Solly and Gary are very similar coaches and characters as well.

“I worked with Solly for three years at Edinburgh and I have got a huge amount of respect for the man.

“He understands how important it is to manage the players and how to get the best out of them.

“That was the thing I enjoyed most about him and what he has brought here.

“I think it’s been great for the Worcester squad that he has been almost been eased into the job.

“He has been around for a long time now and a lot of the boys have got to know him.

“It takes a while for people to develop that trust in the coaches as you don’t know a man until you have worked with him a few weeks or a few months.

“But he seems to have gone down well with the squad and I think we have got a bright future with him at the helm.”