FLY-half Ryan Lamb admits he is now one of the elder statesmen of the Worcester Warriors squad following a raft of recruitment.

Despite only being 28, Lamb, who joined the club in February from Leicester Tigers, is now one of the more experienced players at Sixways.

Director of rugby Dean Ryan has made his mark on Warriors by overseeing a huge change in personnel for the challenge of both returning to the Aviva Premiership at the first attempt and laying the foundations for future success.

Among those to arrive for the Greene King IPA Championship campaign have been wing Sam Smith, scrum-half Charlie Mulchrone, prop Joe Rees and centres Heath Stevens and Ryan Mills.

Lamb said: “We’re a very young squad now with the average age around 24, so that makes me one of the ‘Squadfathers’ of the side.

“Some of the lads who have come into the squad have performed really well in the Championship and will look to the older players to see how they cope in a more professional environment.”

With the new signings settling into Sixways life, Lamb, who has just returned from honeymoon in Greece, insists it’s nice to have a blend of new and old characters.

He also believes the stringent pre-season programme under high performance director Nick Johnston will benefit the team in the long run.

Lamb said: “I’ve played with Tom Biggs before at England Saxons and I know GJ van Velze from my Northampton days.

“It’s nice to have familiar faces when you come back but the new guys are also getting their heads down, working hard and it’s good to have that fresh aspect around the squad.”

He continued: “The schedule is a lot different to what people are used to. I’ve been used to it under Nick at Northampton before.

“It’s tough but there is method to the madness and everyone can see that and is putting the work in.”

There is now less than a month before Warriors face Ospreys in their first pre-season match at Sixways on Friday, August 15, but Lamb has set his sights on success in the new campaign.