FLY-HALF Jono Lance has relished being a mentor to Warriors’ young number 10s and is excited to see how they prosper after his short-term deal with the club expires in the New Year.
The experienced Australian, who joined the club in early October and is set to join Melbourne Rebels ahead of the 2018 Super Rugby campaign in February, believes he will leave the Sixways outfit in a better place having shared his wealth of experience with youngsters Jamie Shillcock and Sam Olver.
“It’s been great here. The players have really taken me under their wings,” said the 27-year-old.
“The team has struggled this season but there’s been a lot of positives.
“When the opportunity for me to come to Worcester came about I looked at a few of their games and, although the results hadn’t gone the way they wanted, there’s been a lot of good footy in their performances.
“I wanted to come over and help the young guys at fly-half. I’ve been lucky enough to play with Bernard Foley, Kurtley Beale and Quade Cooper, so I’ve learnt a lot from some of the world’s best fly-halves and can send some messages to Sam (Olver), Jamie (Shillcock) and Tom (Heathcote).
“I want to help them out as much as possible so they can keep pushing their game forward. I was surprised when I found out Shillcock is only 20 years old. He’s definitely got all the skills as a player so it’s been exciting to work with him.
“He’s a confident guy and has a lot of potential, and Olver’s only 23 years old, so it shows their still progressing as players.”
Former Western Force player Lance believes Warriors’ two successive wins is only a sign of things to come.
“I came here to win and I want to achieve,” he said.
“I want to put the guys in a position where when I head back to Australia (at the end of the year) everything has changed and the rest of the season goes smoothly.
“It’s been exciting and I’ve got stuck in. I’ve definitely seen improvements whilst I’ve been here so I’m very optimistic about the next month. We’re progressing and when it rains, it pours.”