Ryan – We have to be better

Director of Rugby Dean Ryan insists his side have to be better despite their 36-17 win at Yorkshire Carnegie on Saturday.

Warriors fought back from a 14-0 deficit to win 36-17 at Headingley thanks to four second-half tries from winger Sam Smith.

But Ryan says his side must improve if they are to make it to the play-offs of the Greene King IPA Championship.

He said: “After the first half-hour we really had to dig for it and full credit to the side in the second-half for the 19 unanswered points.

“But we lacked real snap in the opening 30 minutes. Yorkshire started in a much better place than us and they made us have to find a reaction.

“We have to be better than we were today and learn from our mistakes.”

The Warriors chief paid tribute to captain GJ van Velze who helped ‘galvanise’ his side as they produced an emphatic turnaround.

He explained: “GJ was head and shoulders above anyone else on the field. His team weren’t quite doing so well and he decided to solve it himself.

“Without him today there could have been a different result because we needed him to galvanise us and he was outstanding.

“His work rate was incredible in what was a messy game, he finds the ball, gets little two on one scenarios and his defence is rock solid.”

Although Warriors sit top of the Greene King IPA Championship, Ryan knows the scale of the challenge that awaits his side as they approach the business end of the season. 

He added: “We’re able to problem solve which we’ve done well in the last two weeks.

“We are making a huge amount of progress but we’re also frustrated we haven’t hit our straps.

“We are unbeaten in the B&I Cup and in the Aviva A League and other than a last-minute loss to Bristol we’re unbeaten in the Championship so I couldn’t ask to be in a better place.

“But we’re aware of the contest in the second-half of the season as it hots up.”


SIGN UP TO THE WARRIORS WEEKLY NEWSLETTER