ENGLAND back-row forward Phil Dowson has agreed to join English second-tier side Worcester from Premiership champions Northampton at the end of the season, the Championship club announced on Tuesday.

The 33-year-old has spent six years at Northampton and has won Premiership, Anglo-Welsh Cup, European Cup and European Challenge Cup honours during his time at Franklin’s Gardens.

“We are continuing to build a side which can progress season after season, and to be able to attract a player of Phil’s calibre to be at the centre of that journey is a huge coup for the club,” said Worcester rugby director Dean Ryan.

Dowson, who played for Newcastle before joining Northampton, has been capped seven times by England, but is not a member of Stuart Lancaster’s Six Nations squad.

Worcester, currently top of the Championship, also confirmed that Zimbabwe-born lock Mike Williams, 23, is leaving the club to join Leicester.