Kitchener, Benjamin staying - Hill (From Worcester News)

Kitchener, Benjamin staying - Hill

5:18pm Thursday 17th June 2010 in Warriors By Tom Guest, @tomguestWN #WENsport

ONE of the main changes Richard Hill plans to implement to the Mike Ruddock regime is a trimming down of the Worcester Warriors first-team squad.

Under the Welshman’s tenure there would regularly be more than 40 players involved in the main training sessions.

However, former Chalon coach Hill prefers to work with a more streamlined group of players and will be limiting his first-team squad to just 33.

He explained: “I’m looking at a first-team squad of 33 and I will be bringing in two new players to achieve that number. One of the new players will be in the front row and the other will be a three-quarter utility-back.

“I’m going to work things slightly differently to how it was last year, as I understand there was a larger group training together with a lot of the lads just coming out of the academy working with them too.

“That often meant 40-plus players working with the first-team squad and I find that too many, so we’ll have a slightly different system where we have a squad of 33 senior players which I will work with.

“You’ll always have a couple of injuries so it is less than 33 — ideally 30, so we can have 15 versus 15.

“Then there will be an intermediate group in between the seniors and the academy, which will be a bit of a cross-over and people from that group will slot into the first-team as and when there are injuries.”

Hill doesn’t envisage any more departures from his current crop of players and spoke out to reassure fans that hot prospects such as Miles Benjamin and Graham Kitchener will be staying with Worcester for the forthcoming Championship campaign.

The ex-Bristol chief added: “The likes of Miles and Graham are very definitely in my squad of 33 and they will be with us.

“I haven’t included Alex Grove in the 33 and the squad would be 34 if he is included too.

“Basically, I’m working with two sets of 15 and then another set of three front-rows which makes 33.

“Alex would make that 34, but I haven’t included him as I don’t envisage him being available until the latter end of the season.

“But the likes of Miles, Graham, Marcel Garvey and Chris Pennell are definitely in that 33 and will be here full-time.”

Hill also quashed rumours that New Zealand Maori fly-half Willie Walker is poised to quit Sixways.

The former Gloucester goal-kicker is currently enjoying his end-of-season break from rugby on a Mediterranean cruise, but Hill insists he will be a big part of his plans this season.

He said: “I expect to have Willie here next season — I’ve spoken to him personally and he’s committed himself to Worcester, which is very good.

“He’s an outstanding player, I’m delighted to have him and, as far as he’s concerned, he’s reporting for training on Monday.”