WING Dean Hammond insists he’s hungry to play for Worcester Warriors after straining his hamstring against Cardiff Blues in February.

The South African has scored eight tries in 17 matches this term but wasn’t in Warriors’ squad for Friday’s 36-26 Aviva Premiership defeat at Sale Sharks.

The 24-year-old came off the bench for 18 minutes in Warriors’ 40-33 loss at Wasps on March 26.

“I strained my hamstring against Cardiff Blues but it was nothing serious and it was just a four-week injury,” explained Hammond.

“It was quite minor and pretty straightforward.

“I don’t think it had anything to do with pitches or anything like that.

“It was a bit frustrating but you have to try to get on the pitch as soon as you can. I want to play as much as I can.”

Hammond previously damaged his hamstring in September at Bath scoring Warriors’ second try in a 37-22 defeat at the Recreation Ground.

But he returned for Worcester’s trip to Leicester Tigers less than a month later.

He believes the arrival of Gary Gold, as director of rugby, in January has lifted the squad.

“Belief has been the main difference since Gary came in and realising we have a strong, tightknit group of players,” said Hammond.

“Potentially, it was a case of simplifying the game-plan a bit and taking a few things out that weren’t offering us much reward but not changing too much.

“We have tweaked a few things, simplified it and made it a bit clearer.

“When we go on to the park we can certainly turn any team over on the day.

"We’ve shown it against Saracens and glimpses of it against Wasps so I think the belief thing is a big thing."

He continued: “As a rugby player, you want to be a fresh as you can going into the weekend so shorter sessions are beneficial.

“With that also comes clarity in the meeting room and then execution in training. It means you can shorten the reps and spend a bit more quality in training rather than being out there for a long period of time.”

Hammond played just once in the Premiership last season under then director of rugby Dean Ryan and six times in the European Challenge Cup, scoring three tries.

But with Bryce Heem completing his two-match suspension, Hammond wants to be involved in Saturday's home clash with Bath.

“It’s hard to ignore a player who is knocking on the door and scoring tries and is hungry," said Hammond.

“As coach, you want to have a guy who is hungry to perform for the team, himself and it’s hard to find the balance.

"But a lot of guys have been rewarded this season for performances and if we continue to do that it would be great. In terms of wanting to play, my hunger levels are 10 out of 10.”