HEAD coach Rory Duncan says he is “very happy” with the position Worcester Warriors find themselves in ahead of next season following a string of re-signings.

Fly-half Jamie Shillcock, 21, became the latest player to commit to Warriors by penning a new two-year contract.

Flanker Ted Hill, 19, centre Ollie Lawrence, 19, back rower Matt Cox, 30, and scrum-half Michael Heaney, 28, have also agreed new deals this month.

And Warriors are expected to announce two more members of their squad that have decided to extend their stay at Sixways.

At this stage last season flanker Sam Lewis was the only Worcester player to have signed a new contract with centre Ryan Mills the next to agree terms in January.

“I am very happy with the position we are in for next season,” said Duncan who arrived at Warriors this summer.

“It’s quite exciting to see that we have managed to retain the talent for next season as the players have put a lot of time and effort in and we have seen improvement in almost all of them.”

Duncan said he was particularly pleased that director of rugby Alan Solomons had managed to keep hold of Hill, Lawrence and Shillcock who are all products of Worcester’s youth system.

“The way we are going to build a strong club is by retaining the talent that has come through our academy,” Duncan said.

“We have got really talented youngsters here.”

Solomons also reckons Shillcock’s deal "underscores the importance" of the club's academy.

“Jamie is a talented young player who has already made almost 50 appearances for the first team," Solomons added.

“In keeping with our vision Jamie is yet another player who has come through the ranks at the club."

Shillcock burst onto the first-team scene as a 17-year-old when he was called up to the match-day squad for Warriors’ Championship play-off semi-final against London Scottish in 2015, coming off the bench for his debut in the second leg.

He made his Premiership debut against Bath in September 2016 before starring a week later as he crossed the whitewash for two tries at Sixways as Warriors drew with Sale Sharks.

Shillcock, who joined Worcester's academy set-up at the age of 14, has already made 44 first-team appearances at the age of 21, racking up 131 points in the process.

He has also represented England under 18 counties and the England under 19 academies.

Shillcock said: “I have some great memories of being part of this group of players and I am delighted to have signed a new deal with the club.

“It’s nice to have the confidence from the coaches at a young age and I want to repay that confidence with my performances.

“Our squad depth is greater than ever and I’m looking forward to pushing on individually and as a team in the future.”