Percival has Warrior spirit

Lock star James Percival on Thursday committed his future to Worcester Warriors after signing a new long-term contract at the Sixways club.

Man-mountain Percival has enjoyed a hugely impressive season in the Premiership as a key component of the Worcester pack and has made a total of 33 appearances for the Warriors.

Hugely popular with both supporters and team mates, Percival started his career in the Academy at Warriors and gained international recognition during his first spell at the club, as a member of the England Under-21 team that won the 2004 Six Nations Grand Slam.

The 28-year-old second row born in Wordsley - who stands 6ft 5in tall and weighs 18st 8lb - joined Northampton Saints in 2005 before joining Harlequins in 2007.

Percival, who previously studied at Worcester Sixth Form College and Worcester University, re-joined the Warriors in 2011 and has become a vital part of the starting line-up at Sixways.

The lock made 20 league appearances in his first season back at the Warriors and scored his first try for the club on the opening day of this season against Bath.

Head coach Richard Hill said: “We’re delighted that Percy has signed a new contract at Warriors because he is a key player for us both now and going forward over the coming years.

“He has been a fantastic acquisition and has a superb attitude. He is extremely passionate about the club, having been here before, and he is one of the senior players who will drive the ambition of the club.

“Percy joined us from Harlequins because he wanted to see Worcester climb up the league and be successful. He is determined to see that journey through.

“On the field he brings physicality, an abrasive edge and a fantastic workrate. He works incessantly and trains hard to get himself in really good shape. Every time he goes on the field he works and works, a lot of it unseen, and has a huge appetite for the game.”

Percival has vowed to give everything he had to bring success to ‘his boyhood club’ after agreeing a new long-term contract.

“The reason I came back to Worcester was to achieve things here,” he said. “We’ve been moving forward as a club and I want to be here when we are winning things, playing European Cup rugby and moving up the league table.

“This is not a stepping stone for me – Worcester has always been my boyhood club and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.

“We are going forward and the atmosphere in the club is the best I’ve known it. It’s a genuinely exciting time and I’m pleased to commit and continue to be a part of that.”