SCRUM-half is one of the most intriguing positions in Dean Ryan’s new-look Warriors squad with the three main protagonists all having realistic claims for the number nine jersey.

By his own admission, Ryan does not have the strongest squad at his disposal and several positions could become a headache should the first-choice player suffer an injury.

However, that is not the case at number nine with Jonny Arr, Paul Hodgson and new recruit Jeremy Su’a all top-class contenders.

Hodgson has been the go-to man for the first slice of Aviva Premiership action, with Su’a providing cover from the bench, but that has been forced upon Ryan somewhat as Arr has struggled with a hamstring injury.

The homegrown number nine is returning to full fitness now and director of rugby Ryan will have a selection headache behind his pack.

Ryan said: “All of our scrum-halves have had game-time, so we’ve been able to have a look at all of them.

“Jonny struggled with a bit of a hamstring problem, so he missed a few games, but he is back up for selection now.

“Paul has been everything I knew he would be — he works really hard and has great committment to what we are trying to do.

“That leaves Jeremy as new to a club and coming off the back of an international series with Samoa and needing to find his feet in the Premiership.

“That is a different challenge having come from the Crusaders — life is slightly different in the Premiership and, once he gets up to speed, he will be a great addition.”