WORCESTER Warriors director of rugby Dean Ryan is calling for his troops to be more clinical, physical and emotional in this afternoon’s home clash with Cornish Pirates (3pm).

Warriors made a poor start to their last Greene King IPA Championship outing at Yorkshire Carnegie and trailed 14-0 after 30 minutes.

Ryan’s men hit back to win 36-17 on that occasion but the Worcester chief does not want a repeat of such a bad opening.

Warriors will be without skipper Gerrit-Jan van Velze and winger Sam Smith, who has scored six tries in his last two matches, including four at Headingley.

“Sometimes in these Championship games you can spend a long time without the ball and it’s very difficult to be animated,” said Ryan.

“But I would expect us to be more clinical, more emotional and more physically imposing than we were at Leeds.

“That wasn’t the standard we needed and all of us recognised we did not get it right.

“I know that Christmas was in the middle but it was the same for Yorkshire - they got it right and we didn’t.

“It was frustrating and we showed what we can do after that poor start when we scored 36 points. But we need to be better than that.”

Ryan added: “I am aware that during the Championship season it is hard for the players to be emotionally high week in week out but that was a bit of a dip for us and I don’t want to see that level of dip again.

“I accept that the players are not playing in front of 90,000 people every week, so you don’t get some of the external stimulus and we have to get better at self-generating it. The Yorkshire game was an opportunity to learn what happens when we get it wrong.”

Warriors will be led by Jonathan Thomas  at Sixways today and the hosts have drafted in Leo Senatore at number eight and Ben Howard replaces Smith on the wing.

Warriors are seeking a 16th successive win at first-team level.

Ryan said: “Cornish Pirates’ form has certainly improved in recent weeks - they didn’t get off to a great start.

“They are a threat but I expect us to win because I expect us to win every game in the Championship. We are at home and I expect us to perform well.”