IT was fantastic to start our European campaign with such a professional performance in Spain.

It was always going to be a step into the unknown against Bizkaia Gernika, but we showed them respect and produced a really thorough 80-minute performance.

The danger against sides that are not full-time is that you drop your standards. However, we were right up for the game and set the tone in the opening minutes as the forwards got to work and Blair Cowan grabbed two tries.

Our Spanish hosts were clearly pumped up for their Amlin Challenge Cup debut on home soil. We silenced the crowd, though, and got on the front foot quickly to take control.

Our first two scores also came from driving line-outs, which is particularly pleasing as it’s an area of the game we’ve worked hard on with Nigel Redman. We feel this can be a real weapon for us as the season progresses.

At 40-0 at half-time, it would have been easy to take our foot off the gas with the game won. But all the replacements made an impact, none more so than young Max Stelling who will never forget his senior debut with a six-minute hat-trick. Some start!

The young lads all impressed as Ben Howard grabbed two tries and Andy Short also got a brace on his comeback.

Nice to see ‘Dodge’ (Paul Hodgson) fly over the whitewash a few times on his first start after a frustrating start to his career at Warriors. We had a number of players who were on their first away trip for the club and so, as is custom, had to get up and sing on the coach trip back.

I was pleased to serenade the lads with a little Oasis number. Not sure Ben Howard’s Call Me Maybe went down so well!

On a more serious note, I was pleased to get on in the second-half in Spain and keep the momentum going. I wasn’t aware that we had beaten the club record for a European win and tries scored so that was an added bonus.

What was more important was the manner of the victory and that we started the competition on a real high.

As a squad, the trip was undoubtedly a real success as we got to spend some time together and really bond. Our hosts at Bizkaia Gernika were also fantastic and very welcoming.

None of the players will forget the warm welcome we received from hundreds of locals in the town centre after the game — or the paella we got to sample! Great to see and meet so many Worcester fans over in Spain too — thanks for your brilliant support!

Many are already talking about our double-header with Perpignan as being the decider in our pool. But we are looking no further than Rovigo on Saturday afternoon at Sixways.

The Italians will be determined to put things right after a heavy defeat, so we will need to pick up where we left off as we strive to do really well in Europe this season.