Richard de Carpentier admits being told that he would make his Aviva Premiership debut against London Welsh was the perfect birthday present.
The back row, who recently represented the England Sevens side at two World Series events, was told on Tuesday – his 23rd birthday – that he would start at number eight for Warriors’ trip to the Kassam Stadium.
“I got told on Tuesday so it was the ideal birthday present,” said De Carpentier. “Nigel Redman pulled me over in the morning and said you’re going to feature at eight.
“So I’m excited but I’m just going to try and keep my head down till the match is over. Then I can reflect on it later.”
De Carpentier started every LV= Cup game for Warriors this season and impressed with a number of stand-out performances. But he believes that tomorrow’s clash will be a step-up from what he has experienced so far.
He continued: “I’m really looking forward to Saturday’s game. There were a lot of boys trying to make a big impression in the LV= Cup games so those games are always a bit frantic.
“I’m looking forward to testing myself against even better players tomorrow. These boys are smashing each other really hard week in week out and it’s going to be a step up so hopefully I can match the physicality.”
De Carpentier also believes the experience of playing Aviva Premiership rugby will give him a boost when the pre-season campaign begins.
He added: “It’s a very important occasion for me. It’s like a cup final and I hope we can get a win.
“Making my Aviva Premiership debut will also give me confidence going into pre-season. I’ll be looking to get into the Director of Rugby’s good books and kick-on as soon as training resumes.”