RICO Gear will get the chance to prove he merits an extension to his Worcester contract when he is handed a starting jersey for Saturday’s Guinness Premier-ship trip to Leicester Tigers.

Director of rugby Mike Ruddock has put the former All Black wing on probation — challenging him to recapture the form that saw him capped 19 times by New Zealand — in order to win a new Warriors deal.

If the ex-Canterbury Crusaders dangerman can impress, and stay injury free over the next couple of months, Ruddock will look to open talks over an extended Sixways stay. The Warriors boss said: “I might look at someone like Rico coming into the team — he will possibly have a run.

“He will be bursting to get out there and show what he can do.”

Another southern hemisphere star who could figure at Welford Road is Samoan centre Dale Rasmus-sen, who has recovered from a knee problem.

Ruddock added: “Dale should be back in contention this week. If he makes the bench, he’ll be looking to have an impact and give us some go-forward.

“However, we don’t expect people like Kai Horstmann, Chris Pennell, Matt Jones or Olivier Sourgens back just yet, but Dale’s definitely an option.”

With his side having been forced into more than 300 tackles in their last two matches, Ruddock will also look to shuffle his pack.

He explained: “We’ll probably tweak the team with maybe two or three changes — just enough to share the load and freshen a few guys up.

“There will be a maximum of four changes. I’ve got to look at things ar-ound the front five, as they’re the guys having the most contacts.”