Premiership winner adds more experience to Worcester Warriors squad

Hugley experienced tight-head prop Fraser Balmain has become the latest addition to the Worcester Warriors’ squad ahead of the 2025/26 Champ Rugby season, as exclusively revealed over the weekend in our Fissler Confidential column.

The 34-year-old has had spells at Leicester, where he won the Premiership in his first season in 2021/12, Gloucester and latterly Saracens, making 177 Premiership appearances in 13 seasons at the top.

Alongside the Premiership win, Balmain has an Anglo-Welsh Cup to his name from his time with Leicester, alongside finishing as an EPCR Challenge Cup runner-up on two occasions with Gloucester, losing out to Cardiff and Sharks. The Newcastle native has never been capped by England, though.

He becomes head coach Matt Everard’s seventh confirmed signing ahead of the 2025/26 Champ Rugby season.

“I’ve known Matt since I was 18, so I know he is the right man to take the Worcester Warriors forward,” said Balmain.

“That was a huge positive for me and I can’t wait to get stuck in with the lads on the pitch.”

Balmain and Everard played together at Leicester, and the Warriors’ head coach believes his latest acquisition will bring a lot, on and off the field.

Everard said: “Fraser is someone I’ve known since being a teenager, and firstly, and most importantly, he is a great human. Secondly, with his experience of over a decade in the Premiership, he will bring a huge amount of leadership to our group.”

Worcester’s confirmed signings so far: 

Forwards: Tim Anstee (back-row), Fraser Balmain (prop), Tiff Eden (fly-half), Matt Kvesic (flanker).
Backs: Josh Bassett (wing), Lloyd Williams (scrum-half)