‘Incredibly exciting’ new club lined up for Fraser Balmain after Saracens confirm the prop’s departure after a single season
Fraser Balmain during his Gloucester days
Saracens have confirmed that Fraser Balmain is moving on after just one year in London.
The 33-year-old, who began his career at Leicester, exited Gloucester last summer following seven seasons with the Kingsholm club.
Injury has restricted the prop to just six Gallagher Premiership/Investec Champions Cup appearances this term, and he will now join the reformed Worcester Warriors for their 2025/26 rebirth in the revamped Championship.
The front-rower becomes the sixth signing by the Sixways outfit, who last played in September 2022 before their financial collapse and suspension from the English top flight.
The recruitment of tighthead Balmain follows their unveiling of Matt Kvesic from Coventry, Ealing pair Josh Bassett and Lloyd Williams, Saracens’ Tiff Eden and Tim Anstee from Western Force in the past week.
Ex-Leicester assistant Matt Everard has been appointed as the Worcester head coach, and his time at Tigers when Balmain was coming through the ranks there was an influence in sealing the deal.
‘That is a huge appeal for me…”
“Worcester is a rugby city through and through and that is a huge appeal for me,” said Balmain in a social media post published by the Warriors. “It’s incredibly exciting to join at such a pivotal moment and I will give my all to get the club back to where it belongs.”
Everard added: “Fraser is someone I have known since being a teenager and firstly, and most importantly, he is a great human. Secondly, with his experience of over a decade in the Premiership, he will bring a huge amount of leadership to the group.”
A Saracens statement read: “Fraser Balmain will leave the club at the end of the season to join Worcester Warriors. He arrived at the start of the campaign having already featured in nearly 200 Premiership games for Leicester Tigers and Gloucester. Despite struggling with injuries during his time at Saracens, Balmain added to his impressive appearance tally this season.”
Director of rugby Mark McCall said: “Fraser has been brilliant for our group and has become a very popular member of the squad. I’m sure he will be a great signing for Worcester and we wish him well.”
Balmain added: “I’d like to thank everyone at Sarries for my time here. From the moment I joined, I felt welcome and I will always be incredibly grateful for the way everyone in the organisation treated me. It’s a very special club.”
