Blackadder's Bath u-turn victory against Worcester
Bath maintained their perfect start to the Premiership season with a bonus point win over Worcester Warriors.
On his second debut for the club, it was fan-favourite Leroy Houston who scored Bath’s fourth in emphatic fashion.
Earlier tries from Antony Watson, Matt Banahan and Semesi Rokoduguni helped Bath come from behind against the Warriors to seal a 37-22 win.
Worcester took the lead with tries from Niall Annett and Dean Hammond, coupled with superb kicking from Tom Heathcote.
Bath made a fast start to the game and went close to scoring, but Banahan failed to find Houston on his second debut for the club allowing play to be brought back and give Ford an opportunity to go for goal, although he failed to find the target.
Bath went close again as Dan Bowden found a gap in the Worcester backs with a grubber, but both Tom Homer and Rokoduguni failed to register any downward contact.
The visitors then took the lead through hooker Niall Annett after a nifty break from Wynand Olivier, and Heathcote made no mistake with the conversion.
George Ford then registered Bath’s first points of the game from the tee, before Worcester extended their lead with a try from winger Hammond, after selling Ross Batty with a fake pass to go clear in the corner. Heathcote again slotting the kick, before adding a penalty moments later.
A clean break from Houston shortly after the break allowed him to set up Watson under the posts, making Ford’s conversion a formality, as Bath began to reduce the arrears.
A clever chip from Bowden then gave Banahan the chance to rise above everyone else, and at 6-foot-7 he was never in any doubt to claim it. Touching down as he landed, his try took Bath in to the lead for the first time in the game, and that was aided by Ford’s kick, and a penalty shortly after.
Bath’s quick turnaround in the second half was furthered by Rokoduguni, who battled his way over the line with the help of the Bath forwards to make the score 28-17 before Ford slotted the kick.
Worcester hit back through Perry Humphreys, but were unable to mount a comeback of their own as Houston dived over in emphatic fashion to entertain the crowd. Ford nailed the conversion to wrap up the 37-22 win in front of 13,182 at The Rec.
