Battle for places not fierce - Hill (From Kidderminster Shuttle)

Battle for places not fierce - Hill

8:50am Monday 7th May 2012 in News By Tom Guest, @tomguestWN #WENsport

RICHARD Hill admitted competition for places in his Worcester Warriors squad is not fierce enough.

In the wake of the season-ending 42-14 Aviva Premiership defeat to Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens, the Sixways head coach revealed he is planning to develop a much stronger first-team squad.

Hill revealed he believes there isn’t the required desperation to win a starting place at Sixways and added that some players can rest on their laurels in training knowing they’ll be picked every week.

He explained: “Worcester have been guilty of not doing that – you could almost pick the starting XV week in, week out. With the best will in the world, if players come in on a Monday knowing they will be playing at the weekend, there isn’t quite that bite to training.

“At the likes of Leicester, where there is competition all the time, you can’t have a poor game as you know someone will replace you.

“You have to have top quality all through the squad so that during training in the week people are working hard rather than sitting back knowing they will be selected.

“That is my job over the next couple of years to strengthen the squad and make sure nobody can think they are guaranteed a starting place.”