POWERHOUSE centre Dale Rasmussen believes the Warriors impressive performance against Northampton at Franklin's Gardens in the European Challenge Cup quarter-final can act as a spring-board for the side to qualify for the Heineken Cup next season.

If Worcester could qualify for the Heineken Cup -- European rugby's premier club competition -- it would be without doubt the pinnacle of their history so far.

Qualification would also help John Brain to attract more world-class players to Sixways, which in turn would further cement the team in the top echelons of English rugby.

Rasmussen, who got his name on the scoresheet in the 34-25 win over Saints, now hopes the Warriors can take their good form into the massive semi-final local derby clash with rivals Gloucester at Kingsholm.

He said: "We've been playing some good rugby and enjoying the European Challenge Cup.

"It was a good result for us against Northampton, especially coming off a disappointing result and performance against Saracens the week before. It was exactly what we needed.

"I was reading in the paper the other day that Anthony (Eddy) was saying that the game against Northampton was one of our best performances of the season.

"You've got to be happy with that, it is what we strive for, but we can't get complacent and we have to try and better it. We have to kick on and look to perform like that every week.

"The semi-final against Gloucester -- our local derby -- will be a huge game and then we have to go there again in the league, so we have a double header coming up against them.

"You look forward to these games -- it's why we play rugby -- and our fans can play a big part, they always do.

"The Heineken Cup is what we aim for and it is important for us to aim high. If we qualified, we would be able to attract a few more world-class players and that can only be good for the club."

The Samoan flyer added that this year has very much been a transitional period for Worcester and he insists everyone at the club is striving to take the Warriors forward, while improving themselves and the club as a whole.

He said: "The management have very high expectations for us and we have had to learn to expect more of ourselves.

"We just had to try and stay up last year, so every game was like a dogfight. This year, we're a lot more talented, more experienced and focused.

"We have targeted our home games against Newcastle and London Irish as very winnable matches and we will be very disappointed if we lose those games.

"We've had peaks and troughs this year. If you lose but your performance is close to your potential you can't complain too much, but we need to find that bit of consistency. Consistency is what makes championship sides.

"Personally, my season is starting to come right towards the end. Obviously I picked up a few injuries not long into the season, and it is always hard with injuries because it is all about routine and I find the more I play the better I get.

"I am happy with where I am right now, but it has been a long, hard season for me -- frustrating at times -- but we are near the end now and we hope to round off the season well."