England international star Matt Mullan is one of the country’s most promising and talented front-row forwards and has become a key performer at Worcester Warriors.

A product of the Warriors Academy, Mullan first came to prominence in the 2007/08 season with 25 appearances for Worcester in all competitions, followed by 24 matches in 2008/09. His senior debut had previously come in December 2005 against Newport Gwent Dragons in the Powergen Cup.

Mullan’s league debut arrived against London Irish in December 2007 and his two tries in top-flight competition were against London Wasps in April 2008 and Leicester Tigers the following September.

The talented prop – who represented England Under-20 during the 2007 Six Nations campaign - has regularly led league statistics for tackles made and yards covered by a prop and his impressive pace for a front row forward was shown in devastating fashion when he produced a memorable try-saving tackle against James Hook in the EDF Energy Cup in 2008.

Mullan’s outstanding development, work rate and ball carrying skills, alongside his excellent scrummaging ability, have been acknowledged with awards at Sixways. He jointly collected the Young Player of the Year prize for 2007/08 and then took the Most Improved Player at the end of the 2008/09 season.

The high esteem in which Warriors hold Mullan was replicated by his second call to the England Saxons’ squad in July 2009. He had been called-up for training in January, but missed the match against Portugal through a rearranged league game, and was later denied a debut against Ireland A at Donnybrook when the match was cancelled because of frost.

Mullan earned impressive reviews from a host of former England players and pundits during the 2009/10 season and he later replaced the injured Andrew Sheridan in the Senior squad for the 2010 Six Nations Championship. He made his senior international debut as a replacement for Tim Payne against Italy in Rome on 14 February 2010.

The prop’s progress and worth at Warriors was underlined in November 2009 when he signed a two-year deal to remain at Sixways until at least 2012.