HEAD coach Carl Hogg admits Worcester Warriors will need to be on their mettle defensively to stop Oyonnax from “grinding” them down at Sixways tomorrow (3pm).

The French outfit languish at the foot of the Top 14 after winning just one of their first 12 games.

They have also failed to pick up a point in the European Challenge Cup after heavy defeats to Brive and Connacht.

But Hogg insists his players cannot afford to take them lightly and stressed the importance of getting off to a quick start.

“They are a typical French side with a big forward pack,” Hogg said. “But they play a lot of rugby as well.

“They are very similar to Exeter in their outlook to the game. They hold onto the ball for the longest period in the Top 14 so are a side that look to grind you down.

“We know the challenge in front of us as they are going to come here and try to play from everywhere as that’s what the stats suggest. We have got to be on our mettle defensively.

“Like in any competition, winning your home games is critical and that’s what we will be looking to do.

“We need to get off to a strong start and really put a marker down in that first 15 minutes.”

Warriors are second in Pool Five after a 30-20 victory over Brive and a bonus-point 15-8 loss at leaders Connacht.

“We have got Connacht at our place and they have got back-to-back games against Brive over the next couple of weeks so we will see where they sit,” Hogg said.

“But for us it is about looking at whether this group can deliver a performance which is full of energy and accurate as well.”

Hogg said his team were also determined to bounce back after the 18-14 home defeat to 14-man Sale Sharks in the Aviva Premiership last week.

“We were disappointed with our performance,” Hogg said.

“We lacked the accuracy we had in the previous two games and put ourselves under pressure.

“We didn’t do ourselves justice. But we recognise that and have an opportunity with a different group to make amends.

“It’s a different competition so there has been a slightly different focus and it has brought a freshness to the week.

“We want to win the majority of our home games.”