Worcester Warriors confirm list of departing players
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Worcester Warriors have confirmed that eight more players will be leaving Sixways at the end of the season.
Full-back/wing Melani Nanai, back-row forward Caleb Montgomery, tighthead prop Joe Morris, loosehead prop Marc Thomas, lock James Scott and three members of the Warriors Academy – hooker Joe Richardson, loosehead prop Ben Murphy and lock Cheick Kone – will be leaving the club along with long-serving flanker Sam Lewis whose departure was announced on Wednesday.
In addition hooker Niall Annett (Bath Rugby), loosehead prop Ethan Waller (Northampton Saints), number eight Sione Valianu (Glasgow Warriors) and Christian Judge (Saracens) have already confirmed moves to other clubs for next season.
Lock Matt Garvey has announced that he will be retiring at the end of the season and scrum-half Willi Heinz, lock Anton Bresler and wing Chris Ashton, who all started the season with Warriors, have since left the club. Academy tighthead prop Mitch Reeve was forced to retire because of a serious shoulder injury.
Warriors have already also announced that Director of Rugby Alan Solomons will be retiring from coaching at the end of the season and that Defence Coach Jonny Bell will be re-joining Ulster Rugby and Scrum Coach Mark Irish will be stepping down for personal reasons.
“The end of the season inevitably means that we have to say goodbye to people – players, coaches and staff. It is not an easy time of the year but it is part of the cycle of professional rugby,” said Warriors Lead Rugby Consultant Steve Diamond.
“I have enjoyed working with all those who are moving on. They are all good blokes and I wish them all the very best for their future ventures.”
Nanai joined Warriors from Super Rugby side Blues in the summer of 2019 and made 21 appearances for Warriors and scored three tries in three seasons at Sixways that were badly interrupted by long-term injuries.
Montgomery also arrived at Sixways in the summer of 2019 from Ulster Rugby and made seven appearances including two in this season’s Premiership Cup-winning campaign as a starter against Exeter Chiefs and Bath Rugby.
Thomas arrived at Sixways before the interrupted 2019/20 season resumed in November 2020 and he made 26 appearances and scored two tries, the second of which came in the opening Premiership Rugby Cup game of this season against Bristol Bears. He joined
Warriors from Harlequins having previously played for Ospreys, Jersey Reds, Yorkshire Carnegie and Doncaster Knights.
Scott, a former England Under-20s international, is a product of the Three Pears Warriors Academy. He made his debut as a replacement in the memorable European Challenge Cup win over Stade Francais in Paris in October 2018 and made the most recent of his 12 senior appearances in the Premiership Rugby Cup semi-final win against Gloucester at Kingsholm in April.
Morris is another graduate from the Three Pears Warriors Academy who played for Oxford University in the 2016 and 2018 Varsity Matches. The former King Edward’s School, Aston student made seven appearances for Warriors between his debut in a Premiership Rugby Cup match against Exeter Chiefs in October 2019 and coming off the bench against Bristol Bears in the Premiership Rugby Cup in November.
Murphy and Richardson both joined the Senior Academy at Sixways in the summer of 2020. Murphy made one senior appearance as a replacement tighthead prop in the Premiership Rugby Cup victory over Gloucester Rugby at Sixways in a group match in November.
He spent most of this season on a dual registration with Luctonians in National Two North while Richardson, a former King’s School, Worcester student, played for Coventry in the Championship on a similar arrangement.
Kone made history when he joined the Senior Academy in the summer of 2021 as he became the first player to graduate from Project Rugby and be contracted by a Premiership Academy. He only started playing rugby in 2015 and spent most of this season on a dual registration with Luctonians.
Richardson and Kone were both named in the senior matchday squad as unused replacements for the Premiership Rugby Cup matches at Exeter Chiefs and Bath Rugby in March.
