DIRECTOR of rugby Gary Gold has hailed scrum-half Francois Hougaard as a “world-class player” and believes Worcester Warriors are “unbelievably lucky” to have him.

But the former South Africa coach has warned Sixways supporters it is unfair to label the 28-year-old livewire as a one-man saviour for struggling Warriors.

Hougaard makes his eagerly-awaited return from injury in Warriors’ Anglo-Welsh Cup clash at PRO-12 outfit Cardiff Blues today (3pm).

It will be the first time Hougaard has worn a Warriors jersey since featuring at Leicester Tigers in April last year.

Warriors’ chances of reaching the cup semi-finals are remote but they seek a first away win in all competitions since beating Harlequins at The Stoop last March.

Gold, who arrived at Sixways this week, said: “Francois is a world-class player and the club are unbelievably lucky to have a player of his calibre.

“But the game has never been about one player and never will be.

“We need him to do his job really well and that will boost confidence and people will feel confident playing around him.

“That’s what happened last season but it’s a different run-in this time.

“From his leadership, calmness and experience at international rugby I am hoping he will bring a clear head for the guys.”

Gold continued: “The message has to be very clear at the moment. The players have to go out and concentrate on playing to the best of their ability.

“I hope playing to the best of their ability means they are able to get a couple of wins along the way.”

Hougaard had a major hand in helping Warriors stave off demotion last season after arriving at Sixways with the club locked in a relegation battle with London Irish.

In nine appearances he scored two tries and produced a string of man-of-the-match displays as Worcester recorded four successive Premiership wins for the first time.

Hougaard also became the first Warrior to win a Premiership player-of-the-month award last March which helped secure a recall to the South Africa squad for the Rugby Championship.

He said: “I haven’t been this excited about playing for a long time and I am really looking forward to getting out there today and next weekend against Saracens.

“I’ve heard a few mentions on Twitter about fans being pleased to see me back but that’s obviously not where my focus is.

“I just want to play my game and take it from there and hopefully I can make an impact in a positive way, contribute to the team and hopefully get a win.

“Blues are a quality side and it will be a tough game.

“With respect we are not going to focus too much on Cardiff but more on our performance and we are aiming to be clinical with the things we have worked on.

“Confidence is a big thing in rugby and having the right mind-set is important.

“It will mean a lot to us to have a good performance and try to get a good run-up for the Saracens game next weekend.”

Hougaard has been pleased to see the arrival of Gold and believes he will take “a bit of pressure” off the shoulders of head coach Carl Hogg.

“I’ve worked with Gary in the past and he’s a great guy and a very good coach,” said Hougaard.

“It’s exactly what we need to help out Hoggy and it takes a bit of pressure off him.

“It’s been a great training week and the test is to see how we do today. Gary is a very straightforward guy and we will get our rewards if we buy in to his plan.

“There’s been a lot of good things (over the past few weeks) but we have to tidy up a few things on the field and not let teams get back into things when we’re on top.”