DIRECTOR of rugby Gary Gold insists “at this stage” he’s only remaining at Worcester Warriors until the end of the season.

The former South Africa assistant coach has led Warriors to two crucial Aviva Premiership wins, including Sunday’s 41-24 victory over relegation rivals Bristol.

Warriors are now seven points off the bottom with five matches remaining and Gold admits he doesn’t have “any other expectations” at Sixways.

“At this stage I am still here until the end of the season,” said Gold who arrived at Warriors last month.

“I don’t have any other expectations. It’s almost quite refreshing knowing you have five games to play.

“I hope the players can make a stand and let the supporters realise how much potential they have as a group.

“Hopefully they can show from performances against Bristol and Saracens and for a large part against Exeter Chiefs we shouldn’t be a team lingering at the bottom of the table.”

Warriors ran in six tries to overpower Bristol at Sixways to rack up the second-highest score in their Premiership history.

Worcester have scored 41 points or more on just one previous Premiership outing — a 51-10 home battering of Newcastle Falcons in 2008.

They have a break before returning to league action against table-topping Midlands rivals Wasps at Coventry's Ricoh Arena on Sunday, March 26 (2.30pm).

Star-studded Wasps recorded a 26-12 triumph against Warriors at Sixways in December and are five points clear of Exeter in the standings.

Gold accepts Warriors have “a long way to go” as a squad and before the club are finally safe from the threat of relegation.

“My remit was to come here, work with the guys and hopefully improve as a rugby team and that’s what we need to do,” said Gold.

“I think that worrying about what’s going on in the table can just get in the way.

“It would be lovely if we were comfortable and clear and maybe it would take a bit of pressure off.

“But maybe this group need the pressure and to understand it is not a bad thing because nobody here wants to play in the Championship next season.”

Gold believes he inherited a “great squad” at Worcester and does not think their below-par performances on the field earlier in the season were due to “coaching issues”.

He said Dean Ryan’s departure in the summer had left Warriors “in a pickle”.

“If I am brutally honest if I had looked at the squad on paper and thought it wasn’t good enough I might have been more risk-averse,” said Gold.

“But I thought this was a great squad and they’ve underperformed for whatever reason and fundamentally I don’t think it was due to a coaching issue. It was structural issues.

“The club were obviously in a pickle when Dean left and I don’t necessarily think the transition was that easy."

Gold added: “I enjoy coaching rugby, I love the game and working with a group of players who want to work hard.

“I believed that’s what we would have with this group when I came over here and thankfully they’ve proved me right.”