WARRIORS visit Bath in the second round of fixtures in the Premiership Rugby Cup on Saturday after starting the season with an eight-try demolition of Leicester Tigers.
The 57-23 Sixways thumping marked Warriors fourth straight victory over the Tigers inside 12 months.
Despite not having played any pre-season friendlies, it took Warriors only 20 minutes to hit their straps and they had the bonus point wrapped up by half-time when replacement wing Alex Hearle went over for his maiden senior try with his very first touch of the ball.
There were also first tries for Warriors for Isaac Miller, debutant Caleb Montgomery, Ashley Beck and Farai Mudariki in a dominant display in front of a sun-baked crowd.
Although Leicester travelled with an inexperienced side, they were lively in attack and gave Warriors a good work-out after a long summer of training.
In fact Leicester led three times in the opening quarter with Tom Hardwick kicking two penalties either side of a Jono Lance penalty and then wing Andy Forsyth rounded off a counter-attack and Hardwick converting.
But Warriors had signalled their intention when Perry Humphreys scythed through for the opening try after 13 minutes following a sniping run from Michael Heaney from a scrum.
Lance added the conversion and with Graham Kitchener enjoying himself against his former club in the lineouts Warriors established a commanding lead.
Kitchener’s lineout take and a big carry from Ted Hill opened up Leicester’s defence and Miller crossed for his first try for Warriors on his first start.
Wales centre Beck set up the third with the break that splintered Leicester’s defence. GJ van Velze worked his way down the right and Montgomery finished.
Warriors lost Dean Hammond to a head injury assessment in the final minute of the first half but it did not disrupt Warriors as another sweeping attack at pace was expertly finished by Hearle and Lance banged over his fourth conversion to lead 31-13.
Leicester scored first in the second half with Hardwick landing an easy penalty but it only temporarily disrupted Warriors.
A storming run from Hill, who carried powerfully all afternoon, was well finished by Beck for an unconverted try.
Mudariki, the Zimbabwe international tighthead prop, rounded off another sustained attack and this time Scott van Breda, who took over the kicking duties after Lance was substituted, added the conversion.
Warriors were awarded a penalty try for a tackle off the ball after Hill had again punched a huge hole in Leicester’s defence which brought up the half century.
Jamie Shillcock finished off another sweeping attack for Warriors’ eighth and final try with van Breda levering over the conversion before Leicester rounded off the scoring when Johnny McPhillips skipped through with the final play of an entertaining match.