EXETER Chiefs are “genuine” Aviva Premiership title contenders, says admiring Worcester Warriors chief Dean Ryan.

The in-form Sandy Park outfit are enjoying their sixth season in English rugby’s top tier and have just qualified for the European Champions Cup quarter-finals.

Rob Baxter’s men will provide stern opposition for 10th-placed Warriors in tomorrow’s Premiership showdown at Sixways (3pm).

Exeter, like Warriors, defeated Bristol in the Championship play-offs to seal a place in the top tier.

The Devon side defied the odds to finish eighth in their debut Premiership season in 2010-11. They were fifth in 2011-12 and sixth in 2012-13.

Chiefs won the LV=Cup to clinch their first piece of major silverware in 2013-14 and finished eighth in the table.

Exeter capped last season with a fifth-place finish and now lie second.

Ryan said: “Exeter are a phenomenal side. I am a huge admirer of what they’ve done and what they are doing now.

“They are European quarter-finalists without four or five guys who generally take the headlines.

“They have a significant amount of injuries but have got to a stage where the squad doesn’t show it due to their huge depth. They are able to maintain performances week in week out.

“They are a genuine contender for the Premiership title and therefore a serious threat for us to try to get a result against.”

Chiefs have won all six Premiership encounters with Warriors last beating them at the old County Ground in 2004.

A trip to face Wasps in April awaits Chiefs in the last eight of Europe.

Ryan said: “I don’t think there’s anyone who doesn’t admire the journey and story of what Rob has done at Exeter. They were trying for three or four years to get out of the Championship.

“There are very few players there now who were involved in that promotion, so they have evolved as a team, without anybody seeing the changes, through people who haven’t necessarily been the star candidates in the recruitment market.

“He has recruited very well and at the same time nurtured homegrown talent. That combination has made them a very powerful club.”

Chiefs head coach Baxter warned of tomorrow’s clash: “I have said specifically to the players we lost some games like this last season a couple of times.

“Under-performing at Worcester would take away a lot of the nice feeling about the weekend just gone, so that is what we have to focus on.”