EXPERIENCED Worcester Warriors props Tevita Taumoepeau and Chris Horsman and young back row Matt Cox will all miss the rest of the season.

Former Tongan international star Taumoepeau has recently gone under the knife for an operation to cure an injury to his left shoulder.

Ex-Wales international Horsman has been restricted to 13 appearances this season and will now miss the remainder of the campaign with a neck problem.

Finally, Cox suffered a dislocated left shoulder after coming on in the defeat to Bristol at the weekend and will have an operation on Friday.

“It’s a blow to lose such experienced players as Tevita and Chris for such a long period of time and definitely until the end of the season with the league run-in and European Challenge Cup quarter-final to come,” said director of rugby Mike Ruddock.

“There is no doubt that some of our lack of form is down to being unable to apply pressure to the opposition in the scrum with key players like them missing.

“We have a number of other injuries which have been quite unbelievable given that we already have a number of long-term injury victims such as Sam Tuitupou, Chris Latham and Chris Pennell.

“Matt is also out for the rest of the season after dislocating his shoulder as soon as he came on against Bristol which was most unfortunate.

“Netani Talei is also struggling with a back injury, which is why he didn’t make the bench against Bristol, and James Collins had another fitness test prior to our Bristol game which forced him out.

“I have been coaching for 22 years and have never seen anything like this before where we have had so many major injuries, even to the point when certain quality players couldn’t start the season in Marcel Garvey and Hal Luscombe.

“But, on the positive side, we are fortunate to have such a good academy structure here that now gives an opportunity to a number of young players to put their hands up and become the next Miles Benjamin or Matt Mullan.”