IT has been another positive week at Worcester Warriors — and I have been wearing my gym shoes rather than my rugby boots.

During our British and Irish Cup programme, my focus is on conditioning, aerobic sessions and more emphasis on gym work.

A few of the quicker lads have been doing speed sessions in Birmingham and others have been out feeding the homeless. It has been a refreshing change.

Sam Vesty and Mefin Davies are more heavily involved with the coaching during the British and Irish Cup programme, while Carl Hogg and Dean Ryan have taken a step back.

But those of us who are not playing matches are still meeting up with the rest of the boys — we are just not involved in the rugby sessions.

With the Championship season being so long, this break from league action is important. It is an opportunity for the Cavaliers and the academy players, who have worked hard to get a chance in the first team.

We all had the chance to watch Sunday’s match at Nottingham in the cup and it was a very determined 26-19 win.

It was a very frustrating first 40 minutes, especially after we scored a try so early in the match. Nottingham had one thing on their mind — to make it a set-piece game. It did not give our backs a chance to shine. We gave away 11 penalties in the first-half. Seven of those came from set-pieces.

The turning point was when our players came off the bench, which gave our scrum new impetus and the collisions were much harder. We looked a different side. The players showed a lot of character, particularly in the second-half.

The average age of our starting line-up at Nottingham was around 21 years. The strength of a Cavaliers team is the backbone of any club. If young players are pushing for a first-team place then it is healthy for the club because senior players know they will have to work harder.

Jean-Baptiste Bruzulier did well as captain on his first-team debut. JB is an exuberant character and a nugget of a scrum-half.

We hope the lads can kick on against Munster 'A'. Most of our lads will be playing their maiden first-team game at home — I hope a good-sized crowd will support them. We will be training on Saturday morning and I will be at the ground in the afternoon to support the boys.

We have received another boost with the news that Ryan Bower and James Percival have been picked for the Championship squad to face Canada on November 2. It will be a good test for the pair and a special occasion for the club because the match is being played at Sixways.