HEAD coach Carl Hogg believes Worcester Warriors’ relationship with Championship outfit Nottingham is proving fruitful.

Centre Heath Stevens and wing Dean Hammond, both 23, have enjoyed loan spells with Martin Haag’s side this season.

While Hammond returned to Sixways for European Challenge Cup duty, Stevens has remained at Lady Bay.

Fly-half Tiff Eden and former Warriors prop George Porter benefited from playing at Nottingham last term.

Hogg said: “We are very fortunate to have a relationship with Nottingham where players get to play the game.

“It’s one of the issues of having to carry a big squad, which you need in the Premiership because it’s attritional. But it’s important for young players to play the game to develop.

“It’s a real conundrum, not just for us but for all Premiership teams, because you need to get game time to challenge players in their development. We know players are going to get knocks in the Premiership and people are going to get tired and fatigued, so the use of the squad is key.

“There are still another 18 games in the Premiership to go so there are lots of opportunities still to come.”

He added: “We have got this European window, two games back in the Premiership and then another European window before the onset of A-team fixtures.

“All of a sudden we are starting to get a flow of games where we can start using all of our squad.

“It’s probably post-Christmas when you sit down and see who needs to find some rugby and who needs game time to develop.”

Meanwhile, former Ospreys flanker Sam Lewis is still struggling with a troublesome arm problem picked up in Worcester’s warm-up match at Northampton Saints seven days before the start of the Premiership campaign.

Lewis has played four times for Warriors since moving to the club in March and bagged a hat-trick in their Championship play-off semi-final second leg success against London Scottish at Sixways.

However, Swansea-born Lewis missed Warriors’ two-legged play-off final against Bristol after the sudden death of his father Roy.

Hogg explained: “Sam has got some issues with nerve damage down his arm and it’s something that’s hanging around a lot longer than we first anticipated.

“It’s in the hands of the medics but it’s taking longer than we first envisaged.”