Jones: Battle hardened, says Hill

England cap Jones, 31, has been asked to fill the number eight jersey against the Saints with Kai Horstmann out with a hamstring problem.

The summer signing from Sale is best known as being an excellent second-row operator, but also has the ability to play in the back row.

And with Northampton's strong pack set to take a typically direct approach against the Warriors, Hill feels Jones' line-out presence can add an extra dimension to his pack.

"Chris Jones is battled hardened from this season and is an international pedigree player who has excelled in this position before with Sale. He can help us pressurise Northampton's renowned set-piece and driving line-out," said Hill.

"We also have real firepower on the bench with Adam Balding, who came through 60 minutes for the Cavaliers on Monday night, and Matt Kvesic.

"Our training focus has been really precise this week and it is crucial we don't become frightened to play after recent results."

And Hill has warned his backline, which includes the finishing abilities of Miles Benjamin and Marcel Garvey, that they will need to make the most of the efforts of the eight men in front of them to pick up the victory at Sixways.

"We're going to come across a very powerful Northampton side that is going to want to take us on at the scrum and line-out, take us on around the fringes with big forward runners," Hill added.

"We don't want to be drawn into that type of game so our three-quarter line have got to add flair and ambition to break the game up."

In addition to the inclusion of Jones, Hill has made two further changes up front as former Ospreys hooker Ed Shervington and lock Craig Gillies come into the pack.

His Northampton counterpart Jim Mallinder, meanwhile, has made changes behind the scrum as his side look to end their own three-match losing run.

Jon Clarke returns to his familiar centre role for the trip to Worcester as Greig Tonks comes back in to the full-back jersey.

Scott Armstrong gets a chance to impress on the wing instead of Noah Cato and Lee Dickson returns at scrum-half while the pack is unchanged.