“RAW” talent Ollie Lawrence has an exciting future ahead of him, according to Worcester Warriors ace Bryce Heem.

The 18-year-old centre has again been named in Warriors’ squad to tackle Harlequins at The Stoop on Sunday (3pm) after bursting onto the scene in the Anglo-Welsh Cup last week.

Lawrence marked his senior debut with a try and an assist as he set up Tom Howe for a last-gasp score in Worcester’s 24-21 loss to Sale Sharks at Sixways.

His 22-minute cameo off the bench led to praise from backs coach Sam Vesty who has been delighted with his work ethic.

Wing Heem admitted he had also been impressed by Lawrence’s ability to “dominate” games and has encouraged him to keep having “fun with the ball”.

“Ollie is going to be a player to watch out for in the future” Heem said.

“He has shown a lot of promise in the A-League games and his first Anglo-Welsh Cup game too.

“I think he is quite a raw player. He is quite powerful and backs his pace and is full of confidence.

“That’s what he showed in those games. For such a young player to come onto the field and dominate the way he did is a real quality.”

Vesty said: “I have been impressed by how well he has trained.

“He has got his head switched on, he’s a tough kid and showed a couple of nice touches as well with the ball.

“He has a good future and if he works really hard at it I think he will be a very good player.”

Birmingham-born Lawrence joined Warriors at under 15s level and has previously been involved with Worcester Rugby Club.

The Bromsgrove School student has also represented England under 16s and was named in the national team’s under 18s development camp last month.

Heem said he was not surprised to see the teenager, who is a former Old Swinford Hospital School pupil, make an immediate impact in the first team.

“In New Zealand guys come through at all ages and really stamp their mark,” said the 28-year-old Kiwi.

“But it’s always awesome to see such a young guy thrive and do so well.”

Warriors have named a number of academy aces for the cup and Heem said he was pleased to see them get the chance to flourish.

“For me growing up I always just tried to have the mindset of having fun and that’s just what I would encourage the young guys here to do as well,” Heem added.

“Sometimes when you are young coming through the ranks you can put a bit of pressure on yourself and get caught up in the fact people are watching you.

“But at the end of the day you have been picked because you are good at something and you have got to go out there and have fun with the ball.

“Even when you get older you still get butterflies.

“But as soon as you get the ball in hand or make your first tackle you are in the game and you can focus on your job.”