Rennie pleased with Zebre win as he sets sights on Saracens

The home side cut loose in the second half to record a 36-8 victory over their Italian visitors, despite playing with limited possession in the game’s opening period.

“Often you can force a team to make a lot of tackles and put them under pressure in the second half,” said Rennie.

“That wasn’t the case tonight.

“We played without the ball for long periods, and our set piece wasn’t good enough in the first half. We knew they would bring line speed, but we also knew that if we could be direct and raise the tempo then we’d have a real opportunity.”

The Warriors duly delivered after the break, crossing for four of their five tries in the second period whilst keeping their opponents scoreless.

“We were a lot more direct and looked after the ball a lot better in the second half,” said Rennie.

“We dug ourselves out of a hole tonight. It was good to see composure from the boys, and I was pleased to see our ruthless streak – when they were down a man, we really turned the screw.”

Guinness PRO14 action now takes a back seat for the next fortnight, as the Warriors prepare for their opening match in the Heineken Champions Cup. English heavyweights Saracens are the first opponents for Rennie’s side, a test that the New Zealander and his squad are relishing.

He said: “We rested a number of guys tonight, so we’ve got a few players that could come back in for next week, but we’re excited.

“We know it’ll be a massive challenge, but we’re excited to be back at home for our first European match, in front of what we hope will be a massive crowd.”