Ryan aiming to push-on after victory

Dean Ryan admits his side need to push-on after Warriors stunned Cardiff Blues in the LV= Cup to claim their maiden victory of the season.

Warriors stormed to a 21-6 half-time lead and hung-on to secure a 21-16 victory on a cold night in south Wales.

Ryan said: “To make so many changes and come away from home and get a result is a nice lift and we’ll bounce next week and see if we can build on it.

“Winning is always important. The first-half performance was excellent and a couple of the young guys did really well.

“We need to capture and understand how well we played in the first-half and what that looks like.”

Ryan handed starts to a number of youngsters, including Ben Howard, Max Stelling and James Stephenson.

And the Warriors boss says he was delighted by the way they performed in front of the away crowd.

He continued: “We play youngsters in the Amlin. Then next time they come out they look a bit more confident. Then we play them in the LV= Cup. Then they get a bit of Premiership action and they can move forward.

“Max is growing in confidence and he did really well. He showed good shape and good understanding.

“James looked physical and sharp and he also did really well. But he got a bang on the hip and had to come off at half-time.”

“We need to look at opportunities for young players. Andy Symons arrived on Tuesday and he didn’t look out of place – he’s here to make a point.

“We saw some young lads playing well and I’m really pleased about that – they’ll take confidence from the match.

“We’re making some big strides. Competitive sportsmen want to win and they worked really hard tonight.”


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