WORCESTER Warriors director of rugby Dean Ryan admits the performances of his players during their two pre-season clashes at Sixways have given him encouragement ahead of the new season.

Warriors defeated Rotherham Titans 29-18 in their first pre-season friendly on Wednesday night before narrowly losing by four points against Cardiff Blues on Saturday.

With almost every player in the Warriors squad getting game-time during the two matches, Ryan believes there are many positives to take into the new Aviva Premiership campaign.

He said: “The whole squad has played a part over recent games.

“We haven’t tried to load the team in any sense and we’ve got every player feeling part of this club.

“Considering we had so many changes, I’m pretty pleased with both matches. “Losing is never something people want but at the same time we were in pre-season against a Heineken Cup side and we looked competitive.”

Ryan has made a big impact at Sixways since taking the helm in May and is now focused on ensuring players are developing at the club.

He added: “Results never matter in pre-season and what we’re trying to do is progress this whole squad.

“The season is long and it's going to be tough for us so we have to work really hard.

“We need to make improvements if we are going to be competitive this season — we’ve started the progress and it’s going to take time.

“Our performance against Cardiff was better than against Rotherham so we’re moving in the right direction and I’m really pleased.”