Worcester: Gary Gold's arrival allows coach Carl Hogg to get 'back on the shop floor'

Wynand Olivier's try was in vain as Worcester lost Saturday's Anglo-Welsh Cup game with Harlequins

Worcester head coach Carl Hogg says Gary Gold's impending arrival as director of rugby for the rest of the season will free him to concentrate on getting things right on the pitch.

Gold will report for work at Sixways on Monday morning to inherit a Warriors side who currently are up against it.

"It was something I instigated," Hogg told BBC Hereford & Worcester.

"Gary coming in gives us direction. It allows me to go back on the shop floor and do more hands on stuff," he added.

"I can go back to working with the squad day to day."

'Players like a strong voice of leadership'

Warriors chief executive Jim O'Toole says the latest change in management structure was one discussed at boardroom level.

"We had a lengthy, very open and honest, frank and honourable conversation with Carl and we decided that support was needed," he told BBC Hereford & Worcester.

"It was part of an ongoing review we'd been undertaking as results have developed throughout the season. In this brutal league, there's no hiding place when things aren't going well. And he mapped out the sort of support he needed.

"Gary coming in will help with a galvanising of the team. Players like certainty. They like a strong voice of leadership. Gary has a proven track record of turning teams around. We believe that a fresh voice is what is required."

Warriors struggling for form

Warriors are misfiring in the Premiership, having won just twice, and drawn two of their 13 games this season to sit just a point above bottom club Bristol.

They are also out of the European Challenge Cup and are now looking unlikely to progress in the Anglo-Welsh Cup after Saturday's 28-22 home defeat by Harlequins.

Warriors led 14-0 after first-half tries from centre Wynand Olivier and wing Bryce Heem and were still leading 10 minutes into the second half, 19-7, thanks to a third try from hooker Josepeh Taufete'e,

But Quins lock forward Charlie Matthews' interception try transformed the contest, before two late tries from Alofa Alofa completed the turnaround,

"We were on top 14-0 and looking a very good side," added Hogg. "But, after the interception try, we lost a little momentum. It dented our confidence and we struggled to get a handle in the second half. We needed to weather the storm and Quins picked us off."

To add to injury-hit Warriors' woes, they now look unlikely to have flanker Carl Kirwan back this season following his shoulder injury and their hopes of recalling South African Francois Hougaard for his first start of the season were scuppered as he has now gone down with tonsillitis.