FORMER England captain Lewis Moody believes Worcester Warriors are now equipped to charge up the Aviva Premiership table after opening their season’s account in the LV= Cup.

Warriors headed to Cardiff Blues last Friday on the back of nine matches without a win and seven defeats from seven Premiership games to sit bottom of the pile.

But tries from prop Rob O’Donnell, wing James Stephenson and centre Max Stelling — all converted by fly-half Ignacio Mieres — gave Worcester a morale-boosting 21-16 win in the Welsh capital.

Tonight (7.45pm), Dean Ryan’s side host defending Premiership champions Leicester Tigers in the second part of their LV= Cup double-header.

And ex-Tigers back-rower Moody believes that — much like it did for last season’s finalists Sale Sharks — the LV= Cup can act as the catalyst for Ryan’s troops to pull clear of the relegation trap door.

“This is a Sale moment for Worcester, you look to every game to improve if you’re having a bad run and, for Worcester, that’s exactly what this competition can be,” he said.

“The worst thing that can happen when you’re losing games like Sale were last year and Worcester have this year, is not to have regular games, leaving you to stew on performances.

“The best thing for Sale was, when the Premiership was going poorly and they under-achieved in Europe, they had another competition to put things right, because every week you want to redress the issues from the previous week and the LV= gave them that opportunity.

“It’s the same for Worcester. They haven’t lost many internationals, so they have a strong squad for the LV= Cup, which means Dean can pick the guys that he wants and iron out the problems from the start of the season on the pitch.

“But this is a real opportunity for Worcester to get back on a winning path and they have taken it – I thought the Blues would just have the edge but that win will do them the power of good.”

When Warriors return to Premiership action with a trip to Sale, they will be desperate to build on their tally of just two points – already nine behind nearest rivals London Irish.

The outlook may already be bleak, but Moody is convinced that, in Ryan, Warriors have the right man for the job.

“If they can get some confidence out of the LV= then I can see them stringing some results together,” he added.

“And in Dean they’ve got a meticulous coach who goes into the fine detail of the game. The challenge is getting that into the performances but he’s certainly got the experience.”

n Be part of the rugby family at the LV=Cup final at Sandy Park, Exeter, on March 16. Tickets now available at ticketmaster.co.uk.