DEBUTANT Gerrit-Jan van Velze will captain Worcester Warriors when they take on Sale Sharks at the AJ Bell Stadium tomorrow (2pm).
The giant number eight, who picked-up an Aviva Premiership winning medal with Northampton Saints last season, will line-up alongside Sam Betty and Mike Williams in the back-row.
Academy fly-half Tiff Eden, who is also set to make his first-team debut, has been named vice-captain.
Summer signings Sam Smith, Jean-Baptiste Bruzulier, Val Rapava Ruskin, Dan George, Mike Daniels and Christian Scotland Williamson will all start for Warriors as Dean Ryan's side go in search of back-to-back pre-season wins.
Academy graduates Ben Howard and Max Stelling keep their places in a backline which also features Josh Drauniniu and Ravai Fatiaki, while James Percival returns to the forward pack.
Warriors: Howard; Drauniniu, Stelling, Fatiaki, Smith; Eden, Bruzulier; Ruskin, George, Daniels, Percival, Scotland-Williamson, Williams, Betty, van Velze. Replacements: Annett, Cosgrove, Rees, Sanderson, de Carpentier, Cox, Arr, Mieres, Symons, Grove, Watkins.
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