Former South Africa centre Wynand Olivier will captain Warriors in Friday’s Premiership Rugby Cup semi-final against Saracens at Sixways (kick-off 7.45pm).
Olivier, a Rugby World Cup winner in 2007, will make his first start since the European Challenge Cup match in Pau in early December and will lead an experienced Warriors squad which includes 13 players who were involved in last Sunday’s bonus points victory over Wasps last Sunday which secured home advantage against Saracens.
Loosehead prop Ethan Waller, who scored one of Warriors four tries against Wasps, starts alongside Niall Annett and Gareth Milasinovich in a front row combination that least featured in Pau.
Flanker Carl Kirwan returns from a loan spell with Ealing Trailfinders in the Greene King IPA Championship to join Matti Williams and Matt Cox in the back row.
Full-back Nick David, who made his Warriors debut in the narrow defeat at Saracens in a Pool Two match in November, will make his second senior appearance.
Back row forward Tom Dodd, who came off the bench in the European Challenge Cup victory over Stade Francais in Paris in October, is in line to make his second appearance of the season off the bench and winger Alex Hearle, who has been on a dual registration with Birmingham Moseley in National One, his first of the campaign.
Loosehead prop Callum Black, lock Anton Bresler and Scotland international fly-half Duncan Weir, who all started against Wasps, are also named as replacements for Warriors’ first semi-final in a major domestic competition.
Warriors
15 Nick David
14 Tom Howe
13 Wynand Olivier (C)
12 Will Butler
11 Dean Hammond
10 Scott van Breda
9 Jonny Arr
1 Ethan Waller
2 Niall Annett
3 Gareth Milasinovich
4 Darren Barry
5 Pierce Phillips
6 Matti Williams
7 Carl Kirwan
8 Matt Cox
Replacements
16 Isaac Miller
17 Callum Black
18 Simon Kerrod
19 Anton Bresler
20 Tom Dodd
21 Michael Heaney
22 Duncan Weir
23 Alex Hearle
Saracens | 15 Matt Gallagher, 14 Ali Crossdale, 13 Alex Lozowski, 12 Dom Morris, 11 Rotimi Segun, 10 Max Malins, 9 Tom Whiteley, 1 Richard Barrington, 2 Tom Woolstencroft, 3 Vincent Koch, 4 Dom Day, 5 Nick Isiekwe, 6 Calum Clark (C), 7 Sean Reffell, 8 Ben Earl.
Replacements | 16 Christopher Tolofua, 17 Ralph Adams-Hale, 18 Billy Walker, 19 Will Skelton, 20 Sione Vailanu, 21 Henry Taylor, 22 Manu Vunipola, 23 Tom Griffiths.