Andy Goode will join Worcester for next season © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: James Collins | Chris Cracknell | Andy Goode

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Teams: England | Worcester Warriors

Worcester have confirmed that England fly-half Andy Goode will join the club next season despite their relegation to the Championship.

Goode has spent the last two seasons with Top 14 side Brive and Super 14 franchise the Sharks and his transfer to Sixways was thrown into doubt by their recent drop into English rugby's second tier.

"In terms of the playing squad, all of the players that are coming to the club are still coming and we have no reason to doubt that," said Worcester general manager Charlie Little. "The chairman [Cecil Duckworth] spoke to Andy Goode over the weekend and he is coming and gearing up to the challenge in the Championship."

The Warriors are however resigned to losing All Black duo Sam Tuitupou and Rico Gear at the end of the season and will also have to wait for news on recent signings Neil Best, from Northampton, and Toulon fullback Luke Rooney.

"A number of guys will move on and do so with our best wishes," Little said. "The rest of the squad will remain and we will have a stronger squad than we had this season. Sammy Tuitupou had a contract offer from us that was beneficial on both sides and we said if we went down we could chat about it. I think, subject to him passing a medical with another club, we now wouldn't expect him to be with us next year.

"Again, with Rico, I would envisage him not being at Sixways next year but we have enjoyed having him at the club and he has helped bring on the likes of Chris Pennell, Marcel Garvey, Miles Benjamin and Alex Grove."

Meanwhile, Chris Cracknell and James Collins will face an RFU disciplinary panel on May 11 after being charged with conduct prejudicial to the interests of the game. The back-row pair were involved in an angry stand-off at the end of the Warriors' loss to Leeds two weeks ago. The incident reportedly arose following a confrontation between the players' fathers.

Cracknell has been charged with "dragging a member of the public over the hoardings in such a manner that he fell to the ground" while Collins will answer charges of swearing at a member of the public.