Director of Rugby Dean Ryan insists a win for Warriors against London Wasps this Friday night would be the perfect catalyst going into the following week’s crunch clash with Newcastle Falcons.
Warriors lie 11 points adrift of the Falcons but can reduce that deficit against Wasps at Sixways on Friday evening (7.45pm kick-off).
Ryan said: “If we don’t go to Newcastle with something under our belts then the pressure sits firmly on us.
“The dynamics of that game change dramatically if we can pick something up against Wasps.
“I’m still convinced we can get that win. We’ve missed opportunities recently but if we can beat Wasps, we still arrive in Newcastle with a slight swing in the pressure.”
Warriors have come agonisingly close to victory in two of their recent clashes, losing by just a point to both Leicester Tigers and Harlequins.
And Ryan says his side will have to learn to cope in a pressured environment if they are to get the result they crave against Wasps.
He explained: “We’ve spoken about these narrow losses. We’ve sought advice, we’ve had support for it and we’ve tried different things.
“At some stage you’ve got to go and perform in those pressured environments. How you respond under that pressure dictates the route that you take.
“Is that pressure something that reflects in those big games? We will find out on Friday.”
Former Warriors Matt Mullan, Andy Goode and Joe Carlisle are set to feature for Wasps against their former club and Ryan knows the challenge to expect from a Wasps side still chasing a top-six spot in the Premiership.
He continued: “They had a pretty successful start to the season but they’ve drifted off a little bit. They are a very dangerous and accomplished side.
“We didn’t play well down there so it is an opportunity for us again to show improvement and more importantly get that win.
“But I’m not going to talk about improvements because what we need is a win and if it’s ugly, it doesn’t matter.”
And Ryan believes his side are geared up for the contest after the short break.
He concluded: “We had a week off before returning for a strong couple of weeks of training.
“We’ve carried this pressure for a long time now. Newcastle haven’t won for a long time either but they’re not carrying that pressure because we sit at the bottom.
“A bonus point against Wasps isn’t good enough. We need a win.”