Relegation looms Bristol after 41-24 defeat to Worcester Warriors

Worcester Warriors 41-24 Bristol Rugby, Sixways
Scorecard

A six-try performance from Worcester Warriors saw them overcome Bristol resistance as they completed a 41-24 bonus point victory in their Aviva Premiership clash at Sixways on Sunday.

The victory has also boosted Worcester Warriors' hopes of avoiding a relegation as they are positioned 11th with 24 points while Bristol are seven points behind at last position.

It was not an auspicious start for Bristol as their lock Dan Tuohy was sin-binned in the 66th second of the game resulting in a penalty try for Worcester Warriors and fly-half Ryan Mills kicked a conversion and a penalty to take them to a 10-point lead.

Worcester Warriors were reduced to 14-men temporarily after Bryce Heem was yellow-carded in the 14th minute following which fly-half Gavin Henson kicked a penalty to get the visitors off the mark.

Scrum half Francois Hougaard gave Worcester Warriors clear advantage when he strolled past the post in the 18th minute and the lead became 14 points after Mills conversion. However, Hougaard's efforts were negated with a strong reply from fullback Jason Woodward crossed over in the 23rd minute with Henson adding the extras.

Tries from Will Spencer and Heem at the stroke of half-time ensured Worcester Warriors had a scoreline of 31-10 at the end of the first half.

After the third quarter went without a point, Heem danced past the post for the second time in the game to stretch the lead to 26 points but Bristol made a brief comeback with tries from Max Crumpton and Tom Varndell in a span of five minutes while Woodward and Wallace added a conversion each.

Any chance of Bristol claiming the game went in air after Wynand Olivier capped off a fantastic game for Worcester Warriors scoring their sixth try in the closing stages and completing a 17-point victory.