DIRECTOR of rugby Dean Ryan has made just one change to his starting 15 for Worcester Warriors' crunch Aviva Premiership clash at London Irish this Sunday (1pm).

Matt Cox comes in at openside flanker in place of Marco Mama as Warriors go in search of an all-important third league victory of the season.

An unchanged backline sees the exciting back three of Chris Pennell, Cooper Vuna and Bryce Heem while Wynand Olivier and Ryan Mills maintain their spots in the centre.

Luke Baldwin will start at nine and will link-up with fly half Tom Heathcote.

Na'ama Leleimalefaga, Niall Annett and Nick Schonert make up the front row followed by Donncha O'Callaghan and Tevita Cavubati in the second row.

GJ van Velze skippers the side in the back row next to Phil Dowson and Cox.

Meanwhile, there are a number of changes to the replacements bench with Georgia international hooker Jaba Bregvadze, prop Val Rapava Ruskin and fly-half Ryan Lamb all added to the side.

Andy Symons has also made the bench despite being linked with a move to the Exiles.

Warriors have lost their last 11 games, but with London Irish sitting at the foot of the table, Ryan said his side were optimistic of ending their disappointing run.

"Irish are a side we would expect to be competitive with and have a chance of winning against," he said.

"We're very much looking forward to the challenge of seeing the things we've done well against good sides and if that can really transfer into a contest with a side that's probably operating at similar levels to ourselves.

"You compare the scrum we've got now to the one we've had in the first few games and it's very different although it's the same people.

"But that's what this whole season is about – we've got to keep improving and learning to give ourselves a foot up into this league.

"We've shown signs of that but we now have to transfer those displays into wins.”

Irish head coach Tom Coventry has made four changes to the side that lost 38-10 to Sale last weekend, with Andrew Fenby, Fergus Mulchrone, Jebb Sinclair and Rob McCusker all coming in to the starting line-up.

Worcester-born Luke Narraway has been named in the back row, while Tospy Ojo will make his 250th appearances when he leads the team out at the Madejski Stadium.

Warriors: Pennell, Heem, Olivier, Mills, Vuna, Heathcote, Baldwin; Leleimalefaga, Annett, Schonert, O'Callaghan, Cavubati, Dowson, Cox, van Velze (C).
Replacements: Bregvadze, Rapava Ruskin, Johnston, Sanderson, Mama, Mulchrone, Lamb, Symons.

London Irish: Fenby, Ojo, Hearn, Mulchrone, Tikoirotuma, Geraghty, McKibbin, Court; Paice, Aulika, Symons, Lloyd, Sinclair, Narraway, McCusker. Replacements: Ellis, Smallbone, Halavatau, Nagle, Guest; Steele, Williams, Brophy-Clews