EXPLOSIVE hooker Joe Taufete’e is getting better with every game, according to Worcester Warriors director of rugby Gary Gold.

Taufete’e was not well known outside the USA when he pitched up at Sixways on a short-term deal in December.

But Taufete’e has played four times in the Aviva Premiership, scoring one try and secured a contract at Sixways until the end of next season.

Gold was full of praise for Taufete’e after Warriors’ 36-26 defeat against Sale Sharks at the AJ Bell Stadium last Friday.

“I thought Joe was absolutely outstanding,” said Gold.

“I can’t even imagine the amount of tackles he made, it was comfortably double figures, and he is just getting better and better.”

“He made a couple of turnover balls, his actual throwing was really good, maybe the options weren’t that good, but it was not necessarily down to him.

“He carries powerfully and is a fantastic player who is just getting better and better.”

The former American Football player made the switch to Rugby Union in 2011 and enjoyed stints at Belmont Shore RFC in USA and Otorohanga RFC in New Zealand before earning a professional contract at USA PRO Rugby’s San Diego Breakers.

Taufete’e made his international debut for USA against South Africa at the 2015 World Cup and has gone on to make nine appearances for the Eagles, scoring three tries.

The 24-year-old captained the USA Rugby Selects at the Americas Pacific Challenge developmental tournament in Uruguay last year.

Gold said: “I think Joe is really explosive and I am unbelievably impressed as well with how well his basics are considering he has not played rugby for very long. For 65 minutes (against Sale), I thought our scrum went quite well.”

Warriors’ line-out functioned effectively for most of the match against Sale but creaked at crucial times in the second period.

“The line-outs have been very good and I am not going to say the lineout wasn’t right (against Sale),” said Gold.

"I think Sale did their homework well towards the end of the game and started to mark us up pretty well.

“We had a lot of success until then with the line-out and obviously our second try came from a driving maul which was good against a team like Sale.

“But unfortunately we lost a couple of line-outs and gave them the momentum."

Warriors are eight points above bottom club Bristol with three matches remaining and face fifth-placed Bath at Sixways on Saturday (3pm).

Gold is hoping Warriors show much better concentration levels against the play-off chasing West Country outfit.

“We played well in the first 20 minutes (against Sale), I thought we asked a lot of questions," said Gold.

“There were passages in the second half I thought we did really well.

“Ironically enough, there were defensive passages where we did very well.

“But against a team like Sale you know are going to play for the full 80 minutes and you know that they are going to ask questions of you out wide on a nice, dry, fast pitch. Your concentration levels need to be sharper.”