Worcester Warriors’ last game before administration: Where are they now?

By Charlie Elliott

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Worcester Warriors have confirmed their return to the Championship for the 2025/26 season. 

Whether or not you agree with the decision to fast-track them into the second tier, every fan will be happy that a once-defunct club is back and will hope that it signals the return of others. 

Now, the test for Warriors is to build a whole new squad. 

It seems that they are looking at lots of former players, with Nick Schonert, Matt Kvesic and Matt Rogerson amongst others being hotly tipped for moves back to Sixways. 

Here is a look at their final starting XV before administration, which was a 39-5 home win over Newcastle Falcons, on the 25^th September 2022, and where they are now. 

15- Jamie Shillcock 

Currently at Leicester Tigers, Shillcock had a brief stint with Bath after Warriors’ administration before heading to Japan for a year with Mitsubishi DynaBoars. 

He made the East Midlands his home in January 2023 and has stayed put ever since, being one of the most consistent performers in the team. 

Underrated at times, he has never been given a chance at Test level but could potentially work his way into selection with a couple of improvements to his game. 

14- Alex Hearle 

Hearle managed to find a club pretty quickly, joining Gloucester for the next couple of years before heading north to play for Newcastle Falcons. 

Most notably at Falcons, he scored a try against Saracens in November 2024 to help them to their first win over Sarries since 2009. 

Adept at both the wing and centre, he is a solid player. 

13- Ollie Lawrence 

One of the most high-profile names to have played in Worcester’s final game, Lawrence is an England and Bath regular who looks set to win a Premiership this season. 

Premiership Player of the Season in 2023, the centre has been one of the top performers in Johann van Graan’s side this year. 

A big injury sustained in the Six Nations will likely see him miss the rest of the campaign and has hugely affected his Lions chances, a tour which he looked destined to be selected for. 

12- Francois Venter 

South African centre Venter played briefly for the Springboks in 2016 and 2017 before he moved to the Premiership in 2018 with Worcester. 

Following their liquidation, he went back to his native country and has played for Sharks ever since. 

Now 33 years old, he is reaching the end of his career but is still a good player in the URC. 

11- Duhan van der Merwe 

Another huge name that didn’t struggle to find a move was Scotland winger van der Merwe, who moved to Edinburgh just weeks after this game and has stayed put since. 

Three Test caps for the Lions while at Worcester shows just how highly he was rated during his time there, and he looks set to be on the plane to Australia. 

32 international tries makes him his country’s record try-scorer. 

10- Billy Searle 

Searle joined Bath on a short-term loan in 2022, but was not given a permanent contract down at The Rec. 

He moved abroad afterwards to play at Biarritz, before a short stint at Toulouse, where he played alongside Antoine Dupont. 

Now settled in the Pro D2 with Agen, he is one of their better players and has been a consistent starter there. 

9- Gareth Simpson 

Simpson is another who has moved abroad, but this time to much further away than France, heading to Australia to play for Western Force, before returning to the Premiership with Saracens. 

Now a solid option off the bench for Sarries, should Worcester get promoted back to the Prem he could be a good option for them to consider. 

1- Murray McCallum 

Scottish prop McCallum returned to his native land to join Edinburgh, where he only made three appearances before he returned back to England with Newcastle Falcons. 

At Falcons, he is a good option for them to have and provides much-needed depth and experience. 

2- Curtis Langdon 

Like many others, Langdon moved abroad after the collapse of Warriors, joining Montpellier and making 13 appearances in the Top 14 before eyeing a return to England. 

Now at Northampton Saints, he won the Premiership last season and remains well in contention for an England call-up, not being too far behind players such as Luke Cowan-Dickie and Jamie George. 

3- Jay Tyack 

Someone who may be seeking a return to Sixways, Tyack has had his post-Worcester career hampered by injury, and he is now at Cornish Pirates in the Championship. 

A talented player who has been unlucky, his injury came while he was playing for Bristol Bears, whom he joined soon after administration. 

4- Joe Batley 

From one player who had to leave Bristol, to another who has stayed, Batley is enjoying life at Ashton Gate and is a very solid option in the Premiership. 

Underrated at times, he brings a level of consistency that is needed in Pat Lam’s attack at all costs style of rugby. 

Under contract until 2026, it is fair to say that he is highly rated in Bristol. 

5- Andrew Kitchener 

Kitchener is now retired after a short spell at Saracens for the 2022/23 season, where he played as a depth option off the bench for most of his time at the StoneX Stadium. 

Now working as a data analyst for an energy company in London, he has firmly left the professional rugby life behind him. 

6- Fergus Lee-Warner 

Lee-Warner has been back and forth between Bath and Australia in his past few years, joining the Blue, Black and Whites straight from Worcester, before joining Western Force. 

Another stint at The Rec followed, and he has since gone back down under to play for the New South Wales Waratahs in Super Rugby. 

A versatile forward who can play in the second or back row, he is a very good player to have in a squad. 

7- Cameron Neild 

Nomadic is probably the best word to describe Neild since he has had to leave Sixways. 

In the two and a half years that have followed, he has played for: Glasgow Warriors, Edinburgh, Sale Sharks and now Newcastle Falcons. 

Seemingly settled in the north-east as a relatively consistent starter, this move may signal his last for a while. 

8- Tom Dodd 

One of the few who dropped down a division, Coventry was the next club that awaited Dodd after Worcester, where he impressed and earned himself to Edinburgh of the URC. 

Following a very strong spell in Scotland, he has since earned himself a call-up to the Scotland A team and will be firmly on the radar of Gregor Townsend. 

Still a bit of a way from Test rugby, if he keeps going in the same trajectory, it could happen. 

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