Richard Hill has admitted that his side will be focused on restoring their defensive pride when they take on Gloucester Rugby in Saturday’s derby (kick-off 1.30pm).
Warriors had one of the best defensive records in the Aviva Premiership last season but have already conceded 58 points this term, and Hill says that this will need to change if Warriors are going to force their way up the table.
“We want to re-establish our reputation in defence against Gloucester as that has always been a strong part of our game,” said Hill.
“It will be a tough one. Gloucester will be very similar to Leicester in the sense they have big, powerful players. They will run hard and we’ll need to be very physical.”
Warriors conceded four tries at Welford Road on Saturday, but Hill was pleased with how his side responded after going 14-3 down after only 12 minutes.
He stated: “Going 11 points behind at Leicester is hard as we wanted a good start. Both opportunities Leicester took came from when we had the ball.
“We were disappointed with that because we were the ones in possession in their 22 and lost the ball on those two occasions.
“That can knock the stuffing out of you a bit but I was pleased with the way we battled back and showed character.”
Hill recognises the importance of starting games well this season and has been working closely with the players in training to ensure concentration levels are high straight from the off.
“Starting is key. We seem to be finishing games pretty well. Although we conceded the late penalty, we scored the try at the end against Bath and we scored the try at Leicester at the end so I’m pleased with how we’re finishing games,” he added.
“It’s all about concentration and that is something we’ve addressed over the last few days.”
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“We want to re-establish our reputation in defence against Gloucester as that has always been a strong part of our game."