The region welcome the Warriors to the Liberty Stadium on Saturday for their first pre-season fixture prior to the start of the new RaboDirect PRO12 campaign which kicks off at Treviso on September 6.
And while league points or European progress may not be up for grabs at this stage of the summer, Tandy insists there is a huge amount to play for as his side look to hit the ground running ahead of their opening encounter in Italy.
“This game is an important building block for the new season to ensure we are ready for the trip to Treviso at the start of September,” said Tandy, whose team finished fifth in the PRO12 last term.
“We’ll be taking this seriously and will be selecting the strongest team available once injury and conditioning requirements have been taken into account.
“There’s nothing worse than a pre-season game without any focus as you don’t get anything from it. It’s important that we get out of the game what we need and we’ll be preparing for the game as if it were a regular PRO12 match.
“Training has been going well, there’s a buzz about the environment, and the boys are enjoying their pre-season.Saturday is when we really start to get down to business, though, as it’s when the start of the new season becomes reality. We want to get a positive performance from the group that will give us a kick start for the challenges ahead.”
Tandy’s troops have taken on Principality Premiership opposition in a series of opposed training sessions over the past few weeks but he admits he’s expecting a step up in intensity on Saturday.
Worcester have already faced Rotherham and Cardiff Blues under new boss Dean Ryan and, although the Blues were victorious at Sixways three days ago, Tandy believes the English outfit will provide just the kind of battle he is after.
“It’s going to be a good contest and a real measure of where we are at the moment. We’re going up against a team that has already got two games under their belt and that could make it all the more difficult for us,” added Tandy.
“Expectation is high there for the new season and we are going to have to make sure that we rise to the challenge. They’ve got a new coaching team and plenty of new faces.
“We can’t wait to get back into action and hopefully we’ll see plenty of fans at the Liberty enjoying summer rugby on a Saturday afternoon.”
One player who supporters will be seeing more of at the Liberty Stadium this year is Junior World Championship finalist Jack Jones after the 20-year-old signed his first professional contract with the region.
The Neath-born second row cum flanker has agreed a two-year deal that will see him stay with the Ospreys until at least the end of the 2014/15 season.
A product of the Ospreys’ player development pathway, Jones captained Premiership side Swansea in 2011/12 before spending last season on loan at Italian Super 10 team Rugby Rovigo, for whom he also featured four times in the Amlin Challenge Cup.
Jones played in all five matches in Wales’ run to the Junior World Championship showpiece in France and will now be looking to make a similar mark with the Ospreys senior side.
“After being away last year in Italy it was what I aimed to do, to come back here and try to establish myself as part of the Ospreys region,” said Jones.
“The experience out in Italy was excellent for me. It was a good standard of rugby that helped me develop as a player but I’m looking forward to new challenges this season that can hopefully help me to kick on again.
“I’m lucky to be training with the likes of Alun Wyn Jones and Ian Evans, top, top players in my position who’ve worked extremely hard to achieve what they have. With great players and great coaches around you, this is the best environment to be in as a young player.
“This year for me is about working hard every day, getting more rugby under my belt and hopefully making the next step up.”
