GAVIN Pfister has revealed he snubbed two Premiership clubs before choosing Worcester Rugby Club.

The South African flanker, who joined in the summer from London Irish, admitted he could have stayed in English rugby's top flight before his switch to Sixways.

"There were a couple of situations which arose," he said. "However, I did not want to lose out on an opportunity such as Worcester because the club is a great place to be.

"The only minus point about Worcester was that they were in the first division but I see that as only a temporary thing.

"Worcester are extremely ambitious and they desperately want to be in the Premiership.

"That's where I want to be and I wouldn't have come here if I didn't feel the club were ambitious enough.

"Hopefully this time next year we will be in training, preparing for life in the Premiership.

"I did a lot of research on Worcester before I made my decision to come to the club so I knew exactly what I was joining. It's a very professional club with great facilities. I certainly feel that we can go into the Premiership and the club will run a lot smoother than a number of existing clubs there."

The 28-year-old was one of the lower profile players to arrive at Worcester in the summer but if his six months at Irish are anything to go by, he could yet be one of the signings of the season.

"I'm a team guy," he added. "I'm also very competitive. I'm not the kind of person who can sit back and watch a game go by in front of me and see our team lose.

"I bring quite a competitive edge to the side and hopefully the other players at the club can push me so that, together, we all raise our standards."