SNIPING scrum-half Jono Kitto says he will only need “half a gap” to attack the opposition’s defensive line.

The new signing, 27, admits he is “not the biggest” number nine but will be looking to add pace to Worcester Warriors’ play this season.

New Zealand-born Kitto, who had a short loan spell at Sixways in the 2017-18 campaign, returned to the club this summer.

Francois Hougaard is expected to be Warriors’ first-choice scrum-half. But Kitto who was understudy to Ben Youngs at Leicester Tigers and Danny Care at Harlequins is relishing the chance to learn off another international while pushing his own case for a starting place.

“Francois is an athlete and a bit of an anomaly in terms of half backs due to his size, pace and everything else he brings to the team,” Kitto said.

“He also offers a level for us all to work towards.

“I have been lucky enough to learn off the likes of Ben Youngs, Danny Care and now Francois.

“It’s great to have someone like him here.

“There is also Michael (Heaney) and Gareth (Simpson) as well as the academy lads and they all bring something slightly different.

“That’s great for the squad because it means that you have a bit of variation to suit the way you want to play the game against specific opponents.”

Kitto, who stands at 5ft 8in and weighs 13st 2lbs, has made the move from New Zealand where he represented provincial club Northland.

“I am not the biggest bloke but I want to be able to get around the park quickly, get to the breakdown and clear as quick as possible and make sure that I am taking on the defensive line when there is half a gap,” Kitto continued.

“Otherwise, like any other nine in this hemisphere, you have to be good at managing the game.

“That’s something I want to be good at and continue to grow as I learn the way Worcester plays the game.”

After arriving on loan from Leicester in September 2017, Kitto made two appearances off the bench for Warriors against Gloucester and Saracens.

He then signed for Harlequins before returning to his native country to play for Northland in the Mitre10 Cup.

On his past performances in the Premiership, Kitto said: starts “I was pretty pleased with them overall.

“I would have loved to have played more as I wasn’t necessarily starting every week at Tigers with Ben, Sammy (Harrison) and a few other nines that are still there now and doing really well.

“You can only control your own performances and the rest is up to selectors and coaches to make their decisions.

“I just want to keep getting better and make sure that I am challenging the coaches to select me.”

Kitto said it was great to sign for Warriors on a permanent basis this time around and felt it had been a “smooth transition”.

“I know probably 70 to 80 per cent of the blokes here which makes it easier to settle in,” Kitto said.

“I really enjoyed my short stint here.

“They were going OK when I was on loan but they have made a few strides forward since then and I wanted to be a part of that.”