BACKS coach Sam Vesty will step up to oversee Worcester Warriors in this season’s European Challenge Cup.

Warriors open their Pool Three campaign with a long trip to Russian outfit Enisei-STM at the Slava Stadium, Moscow, on Saturday.

Vesty, 34, the ex-England, Bath and Leicester utility back, will manage a squad with a mix of youth and experience in the ranks.

“It will be an opportunity for Sam to head it up and I will just have an overview from the background,” said head coach Carl Hogg.

“He will be doing the media duties as well so it’s a great learning pathway for Sam.

“He’s a young English coach who has got a huge amount of talent and I am sure he will travel far in the game.”

Enisei-STM are one of the two powerful Krasnoyarsk clubs, the other being cross-town rivals Krasny Yar Krasnoyarsk.

They compete in the Professional Rugby League, the premier rugby championship of Russia.

Warriors’ high performance director Nick Johnston said: “We played the other team from the city at Hartpury College last year when they came over on tour.

“They will be physical and playing in their own country. They beat Newcastle last year so it will be a stern test for us.”

Worcester, who are in the same pool as Welsh region Newport Gwent Dragons, host French club Brive in their second match in the competition at Sixways the following Saturday (3pm).

Warriors are hoping Chris Pennell will return for some of the European matches after missing the first six Aviva Premiership fixtures following neck surgery.

“Hopefully, we will get Chris back for the European block. That will be a real positive for the group and a shot in the arm to have somebody of Chris’ quality back,” said Hogg.

Warriors will primarily use the competition to expose their young players to a higher level.

“Some of the lads registered have played A-league rugby (for the Cavaliers) on a Monday night and this is the next step for them,” said Hogg.

“We want to see if they can make the same transition as a Jamie Shillcock, Josh Adams or Perry Humphreys. It will be great exposure for the young guys.”