Willi Heinz departs Warriors

Former England international Willi Heinz has been released from his contract with Worcester Warriors and will return to his native New Zealand.

Heinz, 35, joined Warriors from Gloucester last summer and scored tries in each of his first two games against London Irish and Harlequins.

But after just four appearances he was sidelined for five months with a groin injury before returning against London Irish three weeks ago.

Heinz ended his Warriors career on a high, helping the team to 35-31 victory over Exeter Chiefs 11 days ago.

The scrum half’s family recently returned to New Zealand and the club fully support his request to re-join them there.

Heinz played for and captained Canterbury in New Zealand’s ITM Cup and played for the Crusaders in Super Rugby before joining Gloucester ahead of the 2015/16 season.

He won 13 international caps between 2019 and 2020, and played in the 2019 World Cup, coming off the bench in the final.

Written by Ben Jaycock