Mike Ruddock has revealed that centre sensation Dale Rasmussen could make his first team comeback against Leicester Tigers at Welford Road in the Guinness Premiership on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).
Rasmussen has missed the opening weeks of the season with a knee injury, but after recovering is now pushing for a place on the bench.
Director of Rugby Ruddock has also admitted that wing ace Rico Gear could also force himself into contention as he looks to make a few changes to freshen up his Warriors.
“We will probably tweak the team with two or three changes to share the load and freshen up a few guys up before Montpellier. But there won’t be mass changes,” said Ruddock.
“It’s a quick turnaround and they are tough games. It’s been a tough start for us, but we are on track to be very competitive and hard to beat.
“Dale Rasmussen should be back in contention for selection this week. There is a chance he might sneak in on the bench, he will want some impact and to give us go forward.
“I have got to look at the front five, those that have the most contact. I might look at freshening that up.
“There is also a chance that Rico Gear could come into the team. He will be busting to get out there and show what he can do.
“That allows me to take some players out and then they will be fresh for the Montpellier where they will probably start.”
Ruddock has been pleased by the start to the season that sees Warriors sit in sixth place in the table.
And he has backed his team to tear up the record books having lost on all eight previous visits to Welford Road since 1895.
“We haven’t won at Leicester for a long time and in the professional era we haven’t beaten them away. It’s a big challenge but one that we are up for,” he added.
“We have looked at the tape and we made 179 tackles against Sale and they had to make 60 so we had to put a lot of work in to get that result and win.
“A great team spirit was evident and that determination got us home. We gave away a lot of penalties; it was a tough day for us and the work we had to put in.
“I’m pleased with the start. We have battled very hard in every game and we have scored some very good tries.
“Marcel’s try against Sale was fantastic when he used his gas to break away. We had identified that as an area and we offloaded well for Miles Benjamin’s try.
“Overall we have had to battle and had to show a lot of physicality. We still need to work on our discipline and that will be important at Welford Road.”