HEAD coach Rory Duncan believes new lock Michael Fatialofa gave Worcester Warriors extra "grunt up front" in their 23-7 home triumph against Pau.

Fatialofa made his long-awaited first outing for Warriors in the European Challenge Cup encounter on Saturday and Duncan said he was “very excited” by what the powerful forward had to offer his team.

The 26-year-old overcame a knee problem to start alongside Anton Bresler in the second row and made an impression during his 50-minute shift.

“Fatialofa did really well,” Duncan said.

“We gave him quite a big responsibility in managing the lineout and I thought it function pretty well.

“We managed to get a bit of momentum with the mauls, especially in that first half as well.

“I am very excited to have him on board with us and obviously looking forward to watching him play going forward.”

Warriors announced the signing of Fatialofa on a two-year deal from Super Rugby Giants Hurricanes in March.

However the New Zealander did not arrive at Sixways until the conclusion of the Mitre10 Cup with Auckland in early November.

A knee injury then delayed his debut but Duncan said the lay-off allowed Fatialofa time to recover and adjust to life at Warriors.

“He has obviously been training with us for a while but there was a period of time where we just wanted to get him through almost like a mini pre-season phase,” Duncan said.

“He has only been running the lineouts for a week and I thought he did an extremely good job.

“In terms of his general play you can see from a defensive perspective that he can be quite a big threat and when he does get the ball in his hands he will give you momentum.

“He is obviously quite an explosive athlete so he just gives you that go forward and a bit of grunt up front.”

Fatialofa is now expected to retain his place in Warriors’ side when they host Northampton Saints in the Gallagher Premiership on Friday (7.45pm).

“The purpose of giving Fatialofa a run out on Saturday was so that he wouldn’t be completely raw going into that next block of three and in particular the Saints game,” Duncan said.

“It was a great outing for him.”

Duncan was also pleased to see many of his first-team regulars return to the field against Pau ahead of Warriors’ festive fixtures.

“We wanted momentum going into this next block of Premiership games,” Duncan said.

“That’s why it was important to get the result and give a lot of those players a run out.”

On Worcester’s fans who turned out in heavy rain to cheer on their side on Saturday, Duncan added: “We are really appreciative.

“To come out and support the team in those conditions just shows that Worcester have got die hard supporters.

“I would just like to say a massive thank you from myself and the team.”