THE sound set-piece skills of Northampton Saints prop Ethan Waller caught the attention of Worcester Warriors’ coaching team.

Warriors head coach Carl Hogg believes the 24-year-old loosehead will “deliver” at scrum-time when he arrives at Sixways this summer.

Waller has a “huge appetite for work around the track” and is a replacement for England hopeful Val Rapava Ruskin, who will make the short trip down the M5 to join Gloucester next term.

“The Premiership is about set-piece and scrum-time and we know he (Waller) can deliver that,” said Hogg.

“But he’s got a huge appetite for work around the track as well and I am looking forward to bringing him on board.

“Ethan is a player we have looked at for a number of years and we know he can add some quality to the group.”

Waller has made 85 appearances for Saints, racking up 46 Premiership and 20 European Champions Cup appearances.

His first-team breakthrough came in the double league and cup-winning campaign of 2013-14 – a season which saw him make 15 Premiership appearances and win the club’s young player of the season award.

Hogg said: “We are always looking to strengthen the squad whether Val chose to stay or go somewhere else, it was about extending the strength and depth of the squad.”

Waller is first player from outside the club to be officially revealed as joining Warriors for the next season.

But Hogg is talking to other players from inside and outside the camp and confirmed that negotiations “are always ongoing”.

Youngsters Perry Humphreys, Jamie Shillcock and Josh Adams have signed new deals.

Tighthead prop Nick Schonert and wing Bryce Heem have also signed new contracts.

“Negotiations are always ongoing,” said Hogg.

“There are a number of players who have re-signed and a number of players we will look at re-signing and that’s an ongoing process.”

Former London Welsh skipper Carl Kirwan also penned a new contract last week and has been hailed as a hard-working player by Hogg.

The flanker has made 24 appearances for Warriors since joining in 2015.

However, Kirwan is sidelined for at least another eight weeks after dislocating his shoulder against Newport Gwent Dragons at Sixways last month.

Hogg said: “Carl came across from London Welsh.

"Our system with the way we attack and defend is slightly different to what Carl had seen in the past and it took him a while to find his feet.

“At the tail-end of last season, he became an asset for us and he has done well at the front end of this season.

“You always know what you are going to get from Carl – an honest shift and he works extremely hard.

“I think he’s going to be out for another couple of months at least.

"He’s had a significant shoulder repair which will take some time to recover.”