WORCESTER Warriors have found a winning feeling and must capitalise on the confidence to progress to the next level.

That’s the view from Warriors director of rugby Dean Ryan, whose team will end the year at the top of the Greene King IPA Championship table.

A four-try salvo from winger Sam Smith led Warriors to a 36-17 win at Yorkshire Carnegie on Saturday after fighting back from 14-0 down.

Worcester have won their last 15 matches in all first-team competitions and have a home quarter-final tie against Pontypridd in the British and Irish Cup on January 24.

The club’s second string have a home semi-final tie against a Premiership outfit in the Aviva A-League on Monday, January 5.

It is a far cry from Worcester’s confidence-draining relegation from the Premiership at the end of last season.

Ryan said: “This club needs to get used to winning again and I think it’s not had a great history of that.

“It’s important culturally to become a winning club and it’s important we dig ourselves out of holes.

“As a team, we are making a huge amount of progress but we are also frustrated that we haven’t really hit our straps.”

Warriors have won their last nine Championship matches and host Cornish Pirates in their next league fixture on Saturday, January 10.

Ryan said: “It’s not a bad place to be when you are frustrated after 15 wins with bonus points but we don’t think we have played anywhere near the level we believe we can.

“I couldn’t ask to be in a better place but I am aware of the contest in the second-half of the season.”

Ryan praised Smith, who has scored six tries in the last two Championship matches, and skipper Gerrit-Jan van Velze for their displays against Carnegie.

“Sam Smith is starting to find the try-line and be a bit more patient,” said Ryan.

“When he first came to us, he was desperate to get the ball and that brought him infield a bit but he’s got a bit more confidence to stay on his wing.”

Ryan added: “I thought van Velze was head and shoulders above anyone else on the field and, at a time, when his team wasn’t going very well he decided to go and solve it himself.

“Without him, I think it could have been a different result. We needed him to galvanise us and I thought he was outstanding.

“If he wasn’t there, it would have looked pretty scrappy.”