Captain Dean Schofield wants a halt to Worcester exodus

Dean Schofield has spoken of the need for Worcester to keep their homegrown players at the club if they want to move onto the next level.
The 34-year-old club captain, an ever-present this season, has gained a wealth of experience at Sale, Toulon and now at Worcester.
And he believes Worcester can become a top-end club if they can persuade academy graduates like the two Matts, Kvesic and Mullan – who will spearhead a summer exodus – that their careers will be best served at Sixways.
He said: “It’s a great set-up, with the facilities and support base we’ve got here.
“I think over the next three years we’ll definitely be a contender for top European rugby.
“But by the same token we’ve got to look at recruitment and I think it is massively important for any club to keep their homegrown players.
“We probably had ten homegrown players in the team at Sale when we won the Premiership and Toulon, who  are even starting to bring them through to play alongside the stars. That’s the way it has got to be.
“If you look through the squad here there is a lot of young talent. They were all running rings around me when I first arrived!
“Ben Howard and Max Stelling, to name just two, are outstanding wingers with a ridiculous amount of gas.”
Talking specifically about the case of Gloucester-bound England flanker Kvesic, he commented: “I would never pull a player aside and tell them they should stay because ultimately it is their decision, and as a player in a professional sport you need to do what you think is right for you.”
For head coach Richard Hill the equation is simple: make the top six to keep hold of their English talent.
He told The Rugby Paper: “I think the Heineken Cup has had a huge bearing on recruitment because the vast majority of young English players want to be at a club that they feel will be in the competition.
“For overseas players I don’t think it’s such a concern for them, but for English players it is put into their heads that they need to be playing in the Heineken Cup in order to play for England.
“It gets harder for clubs like us to either retain players from their own academy or get them in from elsewhere. It’s a serious problem for clubs who don’t finish in the top six.
“It is about getting the recruitment right to get your team up there, which may mean you you may have a variety of different nations working together to fight like crazy to get into the top six.  And once you’re there you’ll attract the young English players.”
JON NEWCOMBE