Worcester 42-12 Bedford: Warriors win to edge closer to the top

Worcester Warriors have scored 18 tries in three Championship games at Sixways this season

Rampant Worcester ran in another six tries - four of them after the break - to beat Bedford and move within two points of Championship leaders Bristol.

On their return to league action for the first time in over a month, winger Tom Biggs took just four minutes to open the scoring for the Warriors.

Prop Val Rapava-Ruskin then went over for his fourth try in three games.

Captain GJ van Velze, centre Max Stelling and substitute Mat Gilbert's two late tries completed the scoring.

Ryan Lamb landed all his five conversions on his first appearance of the season after injury, before Ignacio Mieres came off the bench to convert the second of Gilbert's brace of tries.

After losing to Bristol on the opening weekend of the season, four of Worcester's five wins since have been bonus-point victories, helping them narrow the gap on Bristol, who scored just three tries in beating Doncaster 24-12.

Dean Ryan's men have now won eight matches on the trot, in all competitions, having also won three times in the British and Irish Cup.

Worcester: Howard; Smith, Stelling, Mills, Biggs; Lamb, Mulchrone; Rapava-Ruskin, George, Daniels, Williams, O'Shea, Cox, Gilbert, van Velze.

Replacements: Sowrey, Bower, Rees, Percival, Arr, Mieres, Symons.

Bedford: Wigglesworth; Tapley, Dodge, Hakalo, Adamson; Sharp, Veenendaal; Parilli-Ocampo, Saunders, Boulton, Howard, Tupai, Blanchet-Dufresne, Buggea, Vandermolen.

Replacements: Clare, Williams, Gulliver, Fenton-Wells, Dyer, White, Jones.