WORCESTER Warriors’ director of rugby Dean Ryan is keen to manage expectations ahead of their return to the Premiership after one season away.

The Sixways outfit bounced back at the first attempt with a thrilling 2014-15 Greene King IPA Championship play-off final victory over two legs against main rivals Bristol and now face a big challenge to survive in the top flight.

Warriors struggled away from home, in particular, in their previous Premiership spell and the late start of season 2015-16 due to the Rugby World Cup could put further pressure on Worcester, according to Ryan.

He said: “If anyone is running ahead with their expectations, next season is going to be the toughest Premiership year ever.

“There’s a World Cup, which means there’s no LV= Cup and that means there’s no breathing space. As a promoted club, that can suffocate you.

“The expectations are to try to grow, be credible and hold ourselves together.

“We’re under no illusions as to the challenge and that it’s beyond anything we experienced in the Championship. It’s an incredibly physical league and the top end is phenomenal in intensity and standard.

“To be able to break Worcester’s cycle from being a ninth to 12th-placed team to being in the top six or seven is a huge challenge.”

Ryan, who has signed the likes of New Zealand sevens ace Bryce Heem from Chiefs, former England flanker Phil Dowson from Northampton and Scottish fly-half Tom Heathcoate from Edinburgh, intends to stick by his transfer policy.

He added: “We’ve stopped people saying they are going to Worcester because it’s a Premiership club. They’re coming here now because of what we’re trying to do and are prepared to take the risks that go with it. That’s given us people that really care about the place.

“It’s maybe made us miss out on some talent but it’s been one of the really important DNA parts that we set out from day one.

“We’ve got to do our next two or three bits of business on the same basis. If we can’t, we won’t be doing any business.

“I’ve promised our current group an opportunity to see if they can make it in the Premiership.”