WORCESTER'S three weeks of inactivity could be a blessing in disguise - according to director of rugby John Brain.

Brain's men haven't had a first-team game since March 16, when they beat Newcastle in a thrilling Premiership clash at Sixways.

Worcester have struggled to produce fluid performances after breaks from league action this season but Brain believes it will be different this time around as his charges tackle Bristol at the Memorial Ground.

"I think we will be fresh mentally and physically," he said. "The difficulty is you never know how quickly you can pick up the intensity of the Premiership after that lay-off.

"The last time the Premiership itself took a break, teams came back and there wasn't a lot of good rugby played that weekend. That was the weekend we played Leicester at home.

"We have got to be mindful of that. We have adopted a different strategy to the one that we had last time. We have tweaked it a bit.

"I do think that at this stage of the season it is vitally important for players to be mentally and physically fresh and ready to play and I think our guys will be. The break is not ideal but I think we have done as best we can.

"The players have had some well-deserved time off. We have been trying to give them a bit of rugby. We used the A' team game at Leeds to do that."

Worcester's South African wing Thinus Delport believes the lay-off will not adversely affect his side against Bristol who have played in each of the last two weeks.

"Because it is so far into the season and it has not been that big a break, it is not going to take that much to get back into it," said Delport. "The first five or 10 minutes of the game are probably going to be very crucial.

"If we can be strong in the first five to 10 minutes then it is really easy to get back into it. We are very excited about it. It's really daunting but we are up for the challenge.

"Bristol have done exceptionally well. They are vying for a top four spot. To reach that position in their second season in the Premiership is testament to their hard work and great team spirit."