JOHN Brain has given out-of-favour Sateki Tuipulotu a timely boost -- insisting he is an integral part of his Sixways squad.

The popular Tongan has missed Worcester Rugby Club's last two league wins at Wakefield and Otley as the coaching chief plumped for Ben Hinshelwood at full-back.

However, the 30-year-old is seen as a key member of Brain's promotion chasing squad and despite the fine present form of Hinshelwood, the former Gloucester coach is backing Tuipulotu to come back into the reckoning.

"We think about Sateki all the time," said Brain. "We beat Wakefield the other week scoring seven tries but only converted two of them. For me, Teki is always at the forefront of my mind because he's not just a good goal-kicker -- he is a good player.

"I think he admits himself he has struggled a bit this season so far. His family had some health problems in the summer, he's not been as confident as he would have liked and he's found it hard to get into the old rhythm.

"We all want to see him playing at his best, I want to see it, the supporters and also the players. He'll get other opportunities this season, there's no doubt about it."

Tuipulotu strained knee ligaments during the September 53-3 win over Birmingham & Solihull and after coming back against Rotherham has not looked quite right, according to Brain.

"He wasn't quite 100 per cent for Rotherham but he knew it was a big game," Brain added. "He wanted to play but, in an ideal world, he probably needed a bit more time to recover and build himself back up after the injury. Then against London Welsh, by his own admission, he had a pretty poor first half and against Coventry there weren't many who played well.

"What we have to do, though, this season is score as many points as possible and when you have Sateki's kicking at your disposal, it's a big factor. We are always looking for the best balance of backs for individual games. Hinshelwood has been one of our best players this season and for me he has to play.

"Different games, however, will mean that we'll look at all the options and Teki is certainly a key member of the squad this season."