A number of Worcester Warriors players, including South African stars Duhan van der Merwe and Francois Venter, could be cast into the wilderness as the club prepares to go into administration.

According to reports in England, Worcester are expected to go into administration this week as they owe more than £6-million (R120m) to HM Revenue and Customs.

The Telegraph reports Premiership clubs have entered into discussions over introducing an emergency salary-cap dispensation to sign any players who are forced to leave Worcester in the coming weeks.

Currently, Premiership clubs operate under a decreased salary cap of £5m, plus a maximum of £1.4m in credits, a measure introduced in 2020 in order to ensure sustainability.

Should Worcester enter administration and thus be unable to pay wages at the end of August, players will reportedly be allowed to leave the club.

Among the potential player exodus is South African-born, Scotland- and Lions-capped wing Van der Merwe, who only joined the Warriors from Edinburgh in 2021. The 27-year-old has previously played for Montpellier and the Vodacom Bulls.

Former Cheetahs and Bulls centre Venter could also be a free agent, having played for Worcester since 2018, racking up 71 appearances for the English club. The 31-year-old made his Test debut for the Springboks in 2016 and has seven Test caps.

A further announcement on the situation at Worcester is expected to be made on Monday.

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