WORCESTER Warriors flanker Tom Harding admits he is still adjusting to the English game.

The open-side arrived from his native New Zealand just before Christmas and got a regular run in the side following the injury to skipper Pat Sanderson.

But Harding is adamant he still has plenty to learn about Northern Hemisphere rugby.

"I still feel like I am adjusting," he said. "The whole style of the game is completely different. There doesn't seem to be as many phases.

"There is a great emphasis on the set-piece here and you have to work that much harder to get involved in the game.

"You have to keep your hands on the ball if you want to get involved. It's just lines and angles. Because there's less phases, the ball is alive for a shorter period of time, which makes it harder to get involved.

"It has been interesting trying to learn and trying to take in all I can."

Harding was given the nod ahead of Johnny Tuamoheloa when Sanderson suffered a second back injury at the end of January. He then made four consecutive starts before a "tweaked disc" in his lower back put an end to the run.

"I was enjoying it," he said. "I had four starts and I felt like I was getting a real feel for it and starting to feel part of the team. I was starting to feel a bit more confident, so it's frustrating getting injured."

The injury is expected to keep Harding out of today's European Challenge Cup quarter-final at Northampton, which means that he misses another opportunity to line up against his brother Sam, who will be wearing the number seven shirt for Saints.

Although this is the fourth meeting between the two clubs this year, the brothers are yet to come face-to-face in a competitive match of any sort, which is proving a great source of frustration to both men.

"For some reason, we've never come up against each other in the past," said Tom. "Last time Worcester played Northampton, I was on the bench and he got pulled out at the last minute.

"So I think he's itching for a crack at me."