WORCESTER'S new director of coaching Adrian Skeggs is aiming high in his first season at Sixways.

The former New South Wales, Queensland and Natal prop has worked as assistant coach at Harlequins and Bedford, but his recent appointment by Worcester is his first number one job in England.

Having had a taste of First Division rugby, Skeggs is keen to return there as quickly as possible and accepts that, with Worcester's impressive facilities and expensively assembled squad, there'll be no excuses if they fail.

"I think that the reason I'm here is to be a First Division coach. But the best way to do it is in this situation where we have a little bit of time to develop a squad" said Skeggs.

"When I was at Harlequins we spent £1.6m on players during the summer, but we then lost our first six games of the season. We had to go back to basics with them and teach seasoned international players all about basic skills."

He admits that he learnt a lot of sense from that experience and, if he can't lift Worcester into the First Division, he'll be the only one to blame.

"If I can't get them promoted, then it will be a management problem and I won't have coached them properly"

The much-travelled Skeggs, who comes from the tiny Lord Howe Island in Australia - "450 locals and 500 tourists!" he says - is still finding his feet as a coach, having stopped playing three years ago.

But his experience in Australia and South Africa have shaped his thinking and he suspects that not enough attention's paid to coaching individual players in English rugby.

"I intend to make sure that every player knows precisely what his job is within the team", he said. "There seems to be too much blanket coaching in England, instead of focusing on individuals and making sure that each player knows what is expected of him".

Skeggs, who's working alongside Worcester's Director of Rugby and Chief Executive Geoff Cooke, has already made his presence felt by introducing a more structured training and fitness programme.

But his first real test, the start of a demanding eight months league season, still awaits him.

Assuming he can keep Worcester's millionaire owner Cecil Duckworth happy by winning promotion in his first season in charge, Skeggs has longer-term plans.

"I'd like to have at least three years here and to be able to say 'look what I've left behind, I've left you the new Leicester'," he said.

"But I know that the key is getting into the first division, because it's no good having the facilities that we have here and a millionaire owner who's not happy."