Ryan – Warriors unlucky not to get reward

Director of Rugby Dean Ryan felt Warriors were unfortunate not to get a result after Bath Rugby beat his side 21-6 at Sixways.

A try in each half gave the visitors victory but the Warriors boss felt his side deserved more, especially after the performance from the forward pack.

He said: “I thought our scrum was outstanding. We were pretty unlucky not to get some reward and we were on the front foot most of the time.

“We’ve got a pretty fearsome scrum and they did superbly tonight against a supposedly feared pack in the Premiership.”

Warriors thought they had the first try of the night when Dean Hammond looked to have scored but the winger was forced out of play.

And Ryan admitted it could have been a turning point in the game. He continued: “We were unlucky with the TMO decision and that try might have changed the complexion of the match.

“It was a 14-point swing in that short space of time. I’m not sure George Ford could kick from his own 22 to our five-metre line again – it was a sensational kick.

“If we scored we wouldn’t have had to chase anything. We could have sat back and got the crowd further behind us and got in the mix – but they are all ifs.”

The former England forward paid tribute to Bath fly-half Ford, who kicked 11 points for the visitors.

He added: “Ford was a master-class and he led from the front. They have a 10 that’s in great form and kicking them into good positions all over the field which made it difficult for us to try and find the game.”

Despite the loss, Ryan insists Warriors are moving forward and that the team are showing a high level of commitment.

He concluded: “We’ve got a little bit of consistency now with the group. Things are moving forward and hopefully we can see those standards week-in week-out.

“That was as good as I’ve seen us play but we have to get better at some things like discipline which just leaked the score out a little bit.

“We might not have the best squad but we have a very committed squad and the supporters were fantastic in getting behind them tonight.”


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