DEAN Ryan believes the outcome of Worcester Warriors’ must-win Aviva Premiership clash at London Irish will boil down to mistakes.

Warriors were guilty of costly unforced errors in their 30-15 league defeat to high-flying Exeter Chiefs at Sixways last Sunday.

And the Worcester chief thinks the side who can cut out their errors will triumph in tomorrow’s bottom-of-the-table battle at the Madejski Stadium, Reading (1pm).

Warriors and Irish have won just twice in the top tier this season, with both beating Northampton Saints and Newcastle Falcons at home.

A defeat for Warriors would sentence Ryan’s men to a 12th successive loss.

“I think both sides are looking to play a bit of rugby and keep the ball alive, so I don’t necessarily think we will be under some of the pressures we’ve had,” said Ryan.

“I was really pleased with our scrum last weekend. That’s the second top side we’ve been dominant against if you include Harlequins.

“I am hoping those elements continue into this weekend. I expect the match to have a little bit of pressure and error-rate. I think the side who minimises that will be successful.”

Irish recorded their first Premiership win with a 25-23 success over Northampton on Boxing Day and sealed a 20-15 victory against Newcastle on January 10.

Winning their last two league home matches suggests they have started to turn the corner after six successive Premiership defeats.

But Ryan said: “They are not operating at the same levels as Exeter. This weekend will be a slightly different challenge for us.

“There is a bit of the eight-point game in this situation, though we are only at the halfway mark in the season. If we can get performance levels right, we are confident we can get a result.”

Warriors should have beaten Wasps in their last league away test, squandering a 22-20 lead with two minutes left to lose 32-22.

Ryan admitted: “We have performed pretty well and I don’t think we can hide from the fact we haven’t won enough games we’ve been competitive in.

“We have to make that transition, otherwise those good results at the beginning of the season are going to dwindle away. Either we are back in the fight with two other clubs or we create a little bit of distance between us.

“This group have been in fights over the last 12 months and have conducted themselves pretty well.

“But let’s see if the confidence we are building from being competitive against the big teams can transfer into us knowing how to close a game out and being successful against a side in a similar situation to us.”