CUP competitions will provide “a window of opportunity” for Worcester Warriors’ players.

Head coach Carl Hogg insists the Aviva Premiership remains Warriors’ “bread and butter” and other competitions will help to “balance” the squad during the season.

Warriors will be involved later this month in the Singha Premiership Sevens and competing in the European Challenge Cup and the new Anglo-Welsh during the season.

Warriors will be aiming for an improvement in Europe after finishing bottom of their pool last term with just one win to their name.

The pools and fixtures for the Anglo-Welsh Cub will be announced later this month. It kicks off on the weekend of November 4 to 6.

French Top 14 Brive, Welsh side Newport Gwent Dragons and Russian outfit Enisei-STM are the challenges facing Warriors in Europe.

Hogg said: “The Premiership is our bread and butter and that’s what we will have a primary focus on.

“We will look to use the LV (now called Anglo-Welsh Cup) and Europe as a window of opportunity for players who are potentially not playing week in week out in the Premiership.

“We will use that to balance our squad throughout the season. The Premiership is our focus and the priority and we will look for the European Challenge Cup and LV as opportunities for other players.”

Minnows Enisei-STM play some home games in sub-zero Siberia and won't be taken lightly, having won two of their four Challenge Cup fixtures last season - including the scalp of Newcastle Falcons.

“Russia is not a place I have been to and it’s something you have to embrace,” said Hogg.

“It’s different and novel and we will have to go there and have a look.

“I don’t whether the away fixture will be in Moscow or Sotchi.”

Hogg added: “It’s something different and I am sure there are logistical challenges with flights and recovery time for players. But it’s something we see as an opportunity and a challenge for the group and something we will look to embrace.”