Latest news straight to your inbox Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Dean Ryan admits he will consider handing the keys to the Sixways asylum to gadfly midfielder Josh Matavesi for this weekend’s final Amlin Challenge Cup match with Oyonnax.

The Worcester director of rugby finds resources so tight, following injuries to Paul Warwick and Tiff Eden, he has only regular starter Ignacio Mieres and the mercurial Matavesi to play in the crucial role of fly-half on Saturday.

Warwick is expected to miss several weeks after sustaining a neck injury against Sale last Friday, while academy starlet Eden has been out virtually all season and given Ryan’s reluctance to risk Mieres in this competition – the Argentine has started just one of the previous five pool fixtures – inside-centre Matavesi is his only remaining option.

But while Ryan clearly views victory in the dead rubber as a nicety rather than a necessity and is therefore potentially willing to indulge the unpredictable Fiji international, Matavesi will see it as a chance to stake a permanent claim on the No.10 shirt. The Cornish-born three-quarter has his heart set on playing fly-half for Fiji in the Rugby World Cup 2015 and any chance he gets to press his case will be more than gratefully received, indeed the 23-year-old is sticking his hand up for most things at present.

“He has talked about slotting in there,” Ryan revealed. “He has played a bit for Fiji at ten. He is a maverick-type player, sometimes they are not best placed at ten. I quite like him operating at 12 because you get that mix.

“But also I think he can bring something quite different so in this particular context I have no issues if it’s Josh that goes there. He’s a great kicker, he understands the game very well.

“He has got to get that balance right between his own personal ability to influence the game and the need to steer a ship and that’s almost where he would have to detract from his own qualities to add to others and that’s always a balance with that type of maverick-type player.”

And Matavesi could even be given the role of goal kicker if, as expected, Ryan chooses to rest recently-installed first choice Chris Pennell.

“He is a possibility, he volunteered for that but then he volunteers for most things, goal-kicking is one of those,’’ said Ryan.

“We have got to look at and consider that because without Penns playing we don’t have another option in the team.”

All of which is also confirmation that Ryan will be willing to choose players whose contracts are coming to an end.

Matavesi could still remain at Sixways but has also been linked with a move to Ospreys in the summer, while David Lemi is interesting Bristol and Semisi Taulava could be on his way to Cardiff. With the transfer market now open for business, Ryan has vowed not to let that distract him or his players.

He said: “Selection has always been based around the club needing to win next week and opportunities to make the club better for the future and those two things will continue. If I feel people can help us win next week, irrespective of contract situation they will play.”

And he also refused to be drawn into a reply to Richard Hill’s criticisms. Ryan’s predecessor last weekend claimed Warriors should be higher in the league.

“We have a lot of other things we can concentrate on rather than looking at that. People will make their own judgements about those comments and the reasons why he feels the need to say them.”