DEAN Ryan fears his already struggling Worcester Warriors squad will be hit hard by the Autumn international fixtures.

With Argentinian trio Agustin Creevy, Mariano Galarza and Leo Senatore set to leave Sixways for most of November, director of rugby Ryan will also be without Scotland prop Euan Murray and Samoan duo David Lemi and Jeremy Su’a.

Hooker Creevy and Galarza gave a tantalising glimpse of what they can offer in Saturday’s Amlin Challenge Cup defeat to Sale, but Warriors fans will have to wait until December until the Pumas players are available full-time.

Meanwhile, influential lock James Percival’s return has been delayed by another couple of weeks after he picked up an ankle injury.

The former captain has missed all of the season so far with a shoulder problem, but now that has healed he has picked up a different knock.

Ryan, who takes his rock-bottom side to Exeter Chiefs in the Aviva Premiership on Saturday (3pm), said: “We signed three Argentinians that basically won’t be with us until the end of November — I’m delighted they’re here, but the structure of the squad around that should have been much stronger and it’s not.

“We have a couple of people arriving and I think the arrival of Leo will change us dramatically.

 

“I really like the Argentinians’ values and we saw at the weekend against Sale that 30 minutes of Creevy can change a game.

“Also, Galarza scored highest on number of tackles made at the weekend, which coming into his first start for the club was just unreal.

“We are starting to swing the balance round to the right behaviours, but it is in the glaring spotlight of the Premiership and that can be unforgiving.”

He continued: “We forget that I had to sign Chris Brooker at the end of June too, otherwise I don’t know where we would have been.

“It’s not ideal as we’ll lose the Samoans — David and Jeremy — too.

“You’d expect a squad at the top of the league to lose eight or nine players, but we are pushing six or seven.

“However, I thought Jonny Arr was excellent at the weekend and I’m really pleased he’s back, because we’ve missed him.

“We have to keep our group working, giving them chances and saying ‘this is how you play when you are playing for Worcester Warriors’.”

Ryan added: “The challenge to unpick the way this squad is paid and to increase the numbers and increase our academy is just part of the project.”