Josh Bassett set for Worcester Warriors debut v Ealing

Wing Bassett, who was one of the early marquee signings ahead of Warriors return season, failed to make a competitive appearance in 2025 having been ruled out injured following the final pre-season match against Bath.

An excited Matt Everard (Worcester Warriors head coach) revealed that Bassett would start in the match earlier this week.

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"Josh Bassett is starting this weekend, which is really exciting," Everard told Worcester News.

"I’ve known Josh a very long time, he is a good friend, we were at two previous clubs together.

"He is an absolutely brilliant bloke, brilliant professional, one of the best I have worked with. You talk about people that want to maximise themselves and leave no stone unturned, Josh Bassett is one of those.

"I think he is probably one of the best wingers to play in the Premiership that didn’t get capped. That is how highly I would rate Josh."

The coach added that Bassett has been a representation of the club ethos at Warriors since their return, alongside urging him to play without pressure in his debut.

"He has been brilliant in regards to what we are trying to build here for people, around how we speak to each other, how we behave, how we are trying to constantly improve," he said.

"He is a representation of that. Excited to get him back out there.

"I just want him to enjoy himself, he has not played in a good bit now so he has absolutely got no pressure from me or the group. Go out and express himself, enjoy himself and when he does that, he tends to perform."

Everard explained that while some players returning from injury will be eased into action off the bench, Bassett's profile as a player suits a starting spot.

"Sometimes when you bring players back into the team, some players are better off the bench and some are better off starting," he explained.

"Being the F1 car that Josh is, for him to warm up and then go straight into the game is the best approach for him.

"If he does a full team warm-up and then sits on the bench for 40, 50 minutes and then comes back on again, we want to keep him in his flow.

"Keep him in his flow, definitely. That is the reason. Also everything I’ve said around what he is like as a person, as a leader and as a player. You want him out there.

"I'm really excited to see him play in a Worcester shirt for the first time."