THE Atlas consortium, who officially completed their takeover at Sixways on Wednesday May 3, have stated that a Worcester Warriors men's team are still 'three to four' years away from returning. 

Directors Jim O'Toole and James Sandford were speaking to the BBC Hereford & Worcester 'Warriors Podcast' on Wednesday evening, where they answered questions on what might be next for the rugby club. 

And it doesn't appear to be good news for supporters of Warriors as O'Toole suggested that any return for a men's Warriors team could be years away.

It looks likely now that elite level rugby will next season consist of Warriors Women and Wasps, who on Wednesday were confirmed as approaching the RFU to play their matches from Sixways.

Warriors Women and local non-league football side Worcester Raiders stated earlier in the year that they had verbal agreements with Atlas to play from Sixways next season, meaning the stadium will have three tenants at least. 

The proposal to bring Stourbridge's first-team to play under the Warriors name-tag remains the "main priority" for O'Toole and Sandford but the former did say that was more likely to happen inside the next "three to four years". 

They had originally planned to reintroduce the Warriors to league rugby next season (2023/24) at Level 5 - Midland 1 - but that seems unlikely given the RFU have specifically said that if Warriors are to come back, it would be from the very bottom of the pyramid; level 10. 

Now it looks as if there will be no Worcester men's team next season and hopes that Warriors will one day return continue to look slim, at best.