MATT Burke has turned down the chance of joining Worcester Warriors.

The Wallaby veteran has informed the Sixways club that if he comes to England next season it will be to play for Worcester's Premiership rivals Newcastle Falcons.

Queensland Reds are also in the hunt for the 31-year-old but, for Worcester, the news is a disappointment.

Warriors' coaches John Brain and Andy Keast held talks with the full back last week and both parties were pleased with the meeting.

Burke, though, flew to Newcastle 48 hours later and the promise of European rugby at an established Premiership side was always a strong selling point.

"We have been told that if Matt is going to play rugby in England, it will be at Newcastle," said Brain, Worcester's director of rugby.

"It's disappointing. You're always disappointed when you go after a player and you don't get him. However, we have a number of other options which we've been pursuing all along.

"The reality for Worcester now is that we are the new boys in this league. When we were in National One, we were the most attractive club for players. That isn't the case any more because we aren't yet established in the Premiership."

Meanwhile, Worcester's chairman, Cecil Duckworth announced their first three Premiership games last night at the club's EGM. The Warriors' opening game on Saturday, September 4 had, for some time, been understood to be against Newcastle and Duckworth confirmed the fixture last night.

They then, according to Duckworth, travel to Saracens on Sunday, September 12 before welcoming Bath to Sixways the following Saturday. The official fixture list is still, to be ratified, however, after problems with the British Lions' itinerary in 2005.

The list is due out on Monday but, once again, looks set to be postponed while the end-of-season fixtures are worked around the Lions' departure date for New Zealand.

The tour is due to start at the end of May in 2005, but the clash coincides with the final of the Zurich Premiership scheduled for May 28 at Twickenham.