SKIPPER Simon Francis insisted West Brom boss Tony Pulis would serve up a “tough test” for Cherries in their Premier League opener at the Hawthorns tomorrow (3pm).

Baggies manager Pulis, who was in charge at Dean Court between 1992 and 1994, was among the crowd at Vitality Stadium to watch Cherries’ pre-season friendlies against Valencia and Napoli.

Francis insisted the Albion boss would not have been shocked by what he saw from the Dorset club and the 32-year-old defender is ready for a physical battle when they kick off their league campaign.

Asked about Pulis, the captain replied: “I don’t think he will have seen anything that will surprise him.

“We have played against him now for the past couple of years, so he knows what we’re about.

“He knows we try and pass the ball. Whether he lets us have the ball, that’s a different matter.

“Whether he will change his style of football, you don’t know until you get there.”

He added: “It’s going to be a tough test, we know it always is against West Brom. They are physical, they are direct. Tony Pulis’s sides always have been and he has been successful with that.”