WORCESTER Warriors have this afternoon confirmed the signing of Cornish Pirates tighthead prop, Jay Tyack ahead of the 2021/22 season.

Tyack, 24, was due to join Warriors for the 2021/22 season but with two tightheads – Conor Carey (bicep) and Richard Palframan (dislocated thumb) – ruled out for the rest of this season he has arrived early at Sixways.

He trained for the first time at Sixways today and will be in contention for selection for Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership match against Leicester Tigers at Sixways.

“I am really excited to be here, to be part of the group Warriors are building and to get involved early doors,” Tyack said.

“I’m looking forward to working with Jonathan Thomas and Mark Irish. I’ve spoken to lots of people and they only have good things to say about them. So it’s a good place to learn and progress as a player.

“I was on loan at Gloucester for a couple of months at the start of the season so that gave me a feel for the pace of the Premiership.

“It’s a bit of a change from Championship rugby in terms of how fast things are and how quick they move. Hopefully that will stand me in good stead along with coming here early.

“The Pirates’ set piece has gone well this season and there a lot of talented players, not just at Pirates but throughout the Championship, so hopefully you will see more boys making the move into the Premiership.”

Tyack, who began his rugby career at Truro, had spells with Launceston, St Ives, St Austell, Chinnor and Birmingham Moseley between two stints with the Pirates.

He has established a reputation as one of the top tightheads in the Championship and impressed with a powerful scrummaging performance in Pirates’ victory over Saracens in this season’s Championship opener at the Mennaye Field.

“The Championship is a very good league which has produced a lot of very good players,” said Warriors Head Coach Thomas.

"We have been watching Jay, particularly this season, and he is a really destructive scrummager. You can see the potential that he has.

“The Championship is a tough league for a tight forward so to be as dominant as he has in that league says a lot about him.

“But he has a good all-round game too. He has a good work-rate and mindset and we really feel that he has got a great opportunity to do something special here at Worcester.

“He’s a young man, but a big man, so there is plenty of scope for growth in his game.

“The plan was for Jay to join us for next season but with the injuries we have at the moment we needed cover so we are very thankful to Pirates, who have a great coaching staff who we get on well with, for agreeing to release him.”

Tyack is the third new tighthead recruited by Warriors following Christian Judge, another former Cornish Pirates player who will arrive from Bath Rugby, and Jack Owlett who has been recruited from Wasps.