A DECISION on whether Worcester Warriors will be asked to play at Sale tomorrow (Wednesday) is unlikely to be taken until the morning of the game, Worcester News understands.

The debacle over the fixture, which was originally scheduled for Sunday but postponed due to a Covid outbreak at Sale, has rumbled on all week and now Worcester look likely to be waiting on a decision from Premiership Rugby, the RFU and Public Health England until the 11th hour.

READ MORE: Sale v Worcester - 'legal consequences' could follow wrong call over Covid-hit clash

In total, 16 players and three staff members at Sale have tested positive with another round of testing set to decide whether the game goes ahead.

The Sharks would make the play-offs with victory but a release from the club has stated they would be prepared to forfeit the fixture “if the club feel it is not safe to play and/or receive one additional positive test”.

READ MORE: Sale statement

But how that accounts for what Warriors make of the situation is unclear, particularly with Sale naming 13 players in the starting XV who were involved against Northampton last Tuesday, a fixture that saw those players mix with others who have since tested positive for Covid-19.

If it does go ahead, Warriors will make one change to the side named for the original staging.

Sam Lewis will start on the openside flank in place of Matt Kvesic who has been ruled out by a sore Achilles tendon.

Matti Williams takes Kvesic’s place on the bench in the other change to the squad with loosehead prop Callum Black set to become the latest Warriors player to join the 100 club.

Black made his 99th appearance when he came off the bench in last Wednesday’s victory over Saracens at Sixways and he has again been named as a replacement for the trip to Manchester.

If Black does reach his century of appearances at Sale he will become only the 27th Warrior to reach the landmark in the professional era but the fifth this season following Ryan Mills, Ryan Bower, GJ van Velze and Matt Cox.

Black, 34, made 51 appearances his first spell with Warriors having progressed through the academy at Sixways and he then played more than 140 times for Ulster before he re-joined Warriors two years ago.

Warriors | 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Melani Nanai, 13 Ollie Lawrence, 12 Scott van Breda, 11 Noah Heward, 10 Billy Searle, 9 Francois Hougaard, 1 Ethan Waller, 2 Beck Cutting, 3 Richard Palframan, 4 Anton Bresler, 5 Andrew Kitchener, 6 Ted Hill (C), 7 Sam Lewis, 8 Marco Mama.

Replacements | 16 Niall Annett, 17 Callum Black, 18 Joe Morris, 19 Joe Batley 20 Matti Williams, 21 Tom Dodd, 22 Gareth Simpson, 23 Jamie Shillcock.

Unavailable | Ashley Beck, Will Butler, Conor Carey, Lewis Holsey, Tom Howe, Perry Humphreys, Graham Kitchener, Matt Kvesic, Morgan Monks, Caleb Montgomery, Matt Moulds, Nick Schonert, GJ van Velze, Francois Venter.