Craig Gillies last night praised director of rugby Mike Ruddock and said the best squad in Worcester's history had been the key to his decision to sign a new contract with the Premiership outfit.

The 31-year-old has agreed to remain at Sixways until the summer of 2011, by the end of which he will have been at the club nine years, after joining from Llanelli in 2002.

Gillies, who has also played at Richmond and for a short period at Gloucester, was a key part of the unbeaten National Division One promotion-winning team of 2003-04 and has helped establish the club in the top flight.

He has also built a reputation as one of the best lineout operators in the country and, although international recognition has been surprisingly hard to come by, he did play for England A in 2000.

His game has flourished under Ruddock, who replaced John Brain last April, and he is as evident in the loose these days as he is at set-piece.

Indeed this season he ended a barren run of more than 100 games without a try when he scored in the EDF Energy Cup against Ospreys. He followed that up three weeks later with another against Montauban. It is that sort of freedom of expression that has caught the second row's imagination and persuaded him to commit his future to Worcester.

"I'm still very motivated by the club and what we are striving trying to achieve," Gillies said. "There are a lot of exciting plans, both on and off the field, and I want to be a part of that development.

"The squad is the strongest that I've been involved in since I was at Warriors and we are looking to play an exciting brand of rugby that is good to watch and be a part of. We also have a very close-knit group of players and I've built up some very strong friendships over the past six years.

"We have a fantastic coaching set-up with Mike Ruddock, Clive Griffiths and Billy McGinty plus a backroom team who are all working hard for success and to ensure they create a positive environment to be a part of."

The announcement comes at a good time for Worcester who revealed on Monday that they would lose Shane Drahm and Drew Hickey, both of whom have signed with Japanese club Kubota Spears, at the end of the season.

With Gillies and former All Black Greg Rawlinson under long-term contracts Ruddock has the base from which to remould the Worcester pack.