Worcester Warriors renamed as proposal to play in the Championship withdrawn

Worcester Warriors will be renamed as ownership group Atlas revealed the club will not feature in next season's Championship.

In an effort to avoid paying creditors, the owners are rebranding the club as ‘Sixways Rugby’ and will merge with fourth-tier side Stourbridge.

Speaking to BBC Hereford & Worcester, Director Jim O’Toole said:

“This decision will clearly upset and annoy a number of people,

“The sad fact of life is that the Worcester Warriors brand and the Worcester Warriors business is gone.

“We didn’t want to go down to the tenth tier as Worcester Warriors, so the name sadly will disappear. We are rebranding as Sixways Rugby. We’re starting afresh. We believe it is time for a new start. The church has closed down.”

The Rugby Football Union set a deadline of February 14 for the Warriors to provide evidence they had met relevant conditions to participate in the second-tier competition.

But director Jim O'Toole, who alongside former London Irish player James Sandford led the consortium that took over Worcester, says the Warriors would instead be merging with fourth-tier side Stourbridge.

"There were a number of key clauses in the contract that we couldn't sign,' O'Toole, Worcester's former chief executive, told BBC Hereford & Worcester.

"This decision will clearly upset and annoy a number of people. The sad fact of life is that the Worcester Warriors brand and the Worcester Warriors business is gone.

"The name sadly will disappear. We are rebranding as Sixways Rugby."

Semi-professional club Stourbridge are currently bottom of National League Division Two West, the fourth tier of English club rugby.

The team have won just once in 18 games this season.