WORCESTER Sauce may have been the first thing that jumped into Bryce Heem’s mind when he heard Worcester Warriors were interested in signing up.
But now he has arrived in the city which put the sauce on the map the try-hungry wing is hoping to help the rugby club cause a stir in the Aviva Premiership.
Heem gave a taste of what Warriors’ fans had been waiting for when he crossed the whitewash inside the first 20 minutes of his much-anticipated debut against Newcastle Falcons.
However, when asked what he knew about the Faithful City before director of rugby Dean Ryan approached him, he said: “I had never heard of Worcester before.
“The first thing that came to mind was whether it was where the source was from and it turned out it was.”
As well as becoming a ‘big fan’ of Lea and Perrins, Heem said he had also become an even bigger supporter of Ryan and Carl Hogg since he arrived at Sixways.
The duo are aiming to take Warriors to new heights and Heem said he wanted to be a part of their efforts.
“They have a plan to make a stand in the Premiership and now that we are here I think we are looking good and turning some heads in the process,” he said.
“There are some awesome players within the backline. They have a high skill level and so far out on that pitch we have shown a lot of good form and I think going forward we can really stamp our mark.”
Unlike any other Worcester player, Heem has not had a break from competitive rugby since the Chiefs kicked off their season in February.
However, the 26-year-old, who competed in the ITM Cup with Auckland this summer, said he was confident his body would hold up.
“I have not had many breaks over these last nine months, so I guess the body is proving itself,” he added.
“I took a few knocks against Newcastle, but nothing too serious.
“The medical staff is a lot bigger here than back home as well.
“At the Chiefs you would only have two physios and a doctor, but here there are a lot of different people you can see here and they all working together to find the best remedy for you, which is awesome.”