Boss Richard Hill has called on his Warriors to produce a big defensive show against early season league leaders Harlequins – and not just let big hitter Dale Rasmussen lead the way if the inspirational Samoan centre wins a recall!
Rasmussen comes back into the reckoning for the home game with Quins at Sixways on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 3pm) after missing the defeat to Saracens as he served a one-match suspension.
Hill is keeping his team selection – and any potential call-up for Rasmussen – under wraps until Friday at noon.
However, he expects all his players to adopt the same physical approach as last weekend in Watford as they look to return to winning ways on home soil.
“Dale Rasmussen is probably our biggest hitter in defence,” said Hill. “When you look at Dale on videos he smashes people. That is his job and he is one of the best in the Aviva Premiership.
“When we played Saracens we asked the question who would step up and take his place. That worked because we had half dozen or more stepping up and making dominant hits. That is great.
“If that is the catalyst then if we do bring Dale back I don’t want people to think ‘Oh Dale is here now, he will make all the tackles’. We have got to make sure the motivation we had to replace Dale’s dominant hits with everyone else carries over to this week.”
Two players who Hill does not expect to need any extra motivation are James Percival and Ceri Jones who will line up against their former team-mates for the first time since making the switch to Sixways.
“Ceri Jones and James Percival will be highly motivated,” he smiled. “They had a great career at Quins, but will have one or two points to make.
“They know those players exceptionally well and we have had a good insight from both of them on the opposition.”
Tickets for the clash between Warriors and Harlequins remain on sale NOW. Call the Warriors Box Office on 01905 454183 or click HERE to buy online today.