We've got to dig in, says Ruddock

Mike Ruddock made a half-time scrum-half change against Northampton.

Worcester Warriors coach Mike Ruddock says his team have to be more ruthless.

After Saturday's home defeat against Northampton, it looks likely Warriors will have to settle for an 11th place finish in the Premiership.

And, although bottom club Bristol's hopes of survival look all but over, 12 points adrift, Ruddock insists that the Warriors should be doing much better.

"We have just got to dig in. We are not a million miles away," he told BBC Hereford & Worcester.

"We had chances to win the game. It's a failing of ours that we didn't. We should have showed a ruthless streak and put them away

"They took their chances. We then had to chase the game, but made too many errors. We need to put pressure on ourselves and be more accurate.

Ryan Powell injected a lot of pace and in many ways changed the course of the game for us

Mike Ruddock

"We showed our spirit last week against Wasps, when we applied ourselves for 80 minutes. What we have to do is deliver that every week.

"When you've got class out there like we have with Rico Gear, Marcel Garvey, Miles Benjamin and Chris Latham, sooner or later one of those guys will cut the opposition."

Ruddock says the half-time replacement of Ryan Powell for Matt Powell at scrum-half was a tactical one.

"We were chasing the game by then, and Ryan became a very credible option for me with his pace.

"I don't think what we did in the first-half was bad. It was just that Northampton took their two chances very well.

"Ryan injected a lot of pace and in many ways changed the course of the game for us. He put us in a position where we should have finished them off."

Worcester, who have won just one of their last five league games, have seven games left of the campaign - starting with next Sunday's trip to London Irish (15 March, 1300 GMT).