WORCESTER Warriors don’t win many trophies so it is only right that they revel in their British and Irish Cup glory.

Friday’s success against Doncaster Knights was the first of the Dean Ryan era but also the first piece of silverware of any kind since winning promotion from the Championship in 2011.

In fact, the last time Warriors won a cup was in the 1997-98 season, when they claimed the Powerline Floodlit Cup during their days as a National League side.

They went close in the 2008 European Challenge Cup, losing out to Bath in the final, but have otherwise not found the need for a trophy cabinet.

That changed at Castle Park and there could be the Championship trophy to add to it at the end of next month, too.

What this triumph shows is that Ryan is turning things around at Sixways following last season’s relegation from the Premiership.

He has assembled a group of players determined to succeed and, so far, they are doing just that.

What’s more, he has created a situation where there is genuine competition for places.

Warriors won the B&I Cup without the likes of club captain GJ Van Velze, Chris Pennell, Jonathan Thomas, Mike Williams, Ryan Lamb, Ryan Mills, Argentina skipper Agustin Creevy and Tom Biggs.

The same team that defeated the Knights was largely the same one that reached the Aviva A-League final, when they were beaten by Premiership outfit Saracens. But along the way, Worcester got the better of Gloucester, Leicester, Northampton and Sale, all established Premiership sides.

It is conceivable that Warriors’ supposed second string would have the beating of much of the Championship. It would certainly be interesting to see what would happen if the B&I Cup team kept the jerseys for the rest of the season.

All of which means the players that have won 17 out of 19 league matches this season would have every reason to be looking over their shoulders.

That can only be good as Warriors look to return to the top table of English rugby and stay there.

Winning the B&I Cup could be the start of something special.