Warriors Under 18 star Will Butler has set his sights on reaching the Warriors Senior Academy.
Butler, who is just 16-years-old, was handed his Sixways debut when stepping out for Worcester Cavaliers against The Army back in February.
And the Hereford Cathedral School student is hoping he will get more opportunities to play on the hallowed turf.
He said: “I’d never played in front of that many people before. It was a great experience and a proud one for me with all my family watching right by the tunnel embarrassing me!
“All day I’d been thinking about it and gearing up to it but it couldn’t have gone much better and it was a great result beating The Army.
“Where the Club is going at the minute, it’s a great place to be and I want to be a part of that. My main aim now is to get an Academy contract at Warriors.”
The youngster, who has impressed for the Under 18s this term, admits his age-group side didn’t have the greatest of campaigns but he insists they will be much stronger next season.
He explained: “Overall this season we know there was room for improvement but it was a very young side and a lot of us are 16 in that group.
“It bodes well for the future because we’ve been playing against a lot of older guys and I think next year we will pose a real threat in the Aviva Premiership Under 18 Academy League.”
With the Under 18s, Butler has played alongside Academy players Sam Smith, Andrew Kitchener and Huw Taylor – the latter of whom has represented Warriors five times this term.
And Butler believes playing alongside Academy stars is helping him and other young players to progress.
He continued: “Players like Huw help us massively. They are leaders.
“They galvanise the boys in the team as some of them struggle to voice their opinion so when players like Huw come in they’re loud, which helps us to communicate better.”
With Warriors setting up six Junior Academy Centres throughout the West Midlands this season, Butler insists the latest, at his own school Hereford Cathedral, is of huge benefit to aspiring young rugby players looking for a clear pathway to the top of the game.
He added: “It’s massively important to have these centres for young rugby players.
“When people in Hereford see the pathway into professional rugby that is there for them with Warriors, it should spur them on to try and reach the top.
“Growing up in Hereford if you’re looking to play rugby on the big stage, then Warriors are your team.”
And despite a host of players performing for Warriors this season, Butler admits the younger guys are the ones he is looking up to.
He concluded: “I see guys like Ben Howard and Max Stelling as the perfect role models. They’ve worked their way up and are now playing at the top level despite being a young age.
“For me having come in at such a young age to play for the Cavaliers is such a big thing. Not many people would give you that kind of respect but it shows the opportunities you can get here at Warriors.”