Worcester captain GJ van Velze has vowed to play through the pain-barrier for the Warriors as he looks to return from injury for the crucial Gallagher Premiership run-in

The Warriors, who are seven points above the drop zone, have been without van Velze for almost two months after he fractured his arm in the defeat at Harlequins in mid-February.

The number eight damaged a plate in his right forearm and underwent surgery to repair the issue and Worcester have missed their talisman ever since.

But with crucial home fixtures in their final three Gallagher Premiership games looming large, van Velze is determined to lead from the front for Worcester when it matters most.

“It’s extremely important that we avoid relegation,” said the 31-year-old, speaking at a Gallagher ‘Train with your Heroes’ session at Wolverhampton Rugby Club.

“Relegation is part of the game as we know. It’s important that we come out on the other side though.

“There’s been a lot of investment emotionally and financially into this club; a lot of people have sacrificed a lot.

“We’re grateful for where we are, but we’re an ambitious club and want to become a top-six sustainable Premiership club, so we have to come over these four hurdles that are remaining.

“It’s always frustrating, even more so when there’s a pressure environment.

“You want to be involved in the big games, and these are big games for us to be involved in.

“I’ll definitely be back before the end of the season. But it’s not just about me, not just about one person; it’s about the squad.

“The club’s bigger than any one person - so we’ve got to get together and make sure that we get the job done before the end of the season.”

Van Velze is hopeful that a twist of fate in the fixture scheduling, which has seen Worcester left with homes games this season against Gloucester and Saracens, will give them a relegation lift; particularly after the weekend’s 39-17 win against Sale.

And the South African believes a passionate home crowd at Sixways will be enough to give Worcester the crucial wins to stay in the division.

“It’s three massive games for us, with two of them at home,” he added.

“That’s an advantage for is because we love playing at Sixways in front of a very faithful crowd.

“There’s a lot of pressure on these games, but there’s a lot of pressure on a lot of teams. Either lucky or unlucky, we’ve been in this position before and know what to expect.

“For us, we need to keep it simple and make sure that we can execute under pressure. It’s a lot easier said than done, but we’ve got a lot of faith in the squad, and we’re not a squad that’s going to run away from any challenge. 

“We love playing at home. A lot of us have made sacrifices leaving family and friends behind, and now we’ve made new friends who come and support us, so we like to put on a show for them.

“The crowd have been here through thick and thin; you can’t question their loyalty, so we need to repay them.”

  • GJ van Velze was speaking at a Gallagher ‘Train with your Heroes’ session at Wolverhampton Rugby Club after their U12s side won a nationwide competition launched by Gallagher, a passionate community insurance broker and proud title partner of Premiership Rugby.