Premiership: Northampton Saints 24-14 Worcester Warriors

Northampton led by 10 points at half time and held onto their advantage

Mikey Haywood scored two tries as Northampton moved back into the top six of the Premiership with victory over Worcester at Franklin's Gardens.

Full-back Josh Adams went over to give Warriors the lead but Teimana Harrison and Haywood scored to put Saints ahead.

Hooker Haywood touched down from a rolling maul to increase their lead before Bryce Heem scored a consolation try for Worcester.

Stephen Myler kicked nine points for the hosts to seal the result.

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It was a first win in three league matches for Saints while Worcester slipped to their 11th defeat of the season, but remain six points above bottom club Bristol.

The visitors went ahead inside the opening 10 minutes when Wynand Olivier's break was finished by full-back Adams.

Northampton drew level through Harrison's first try of the season and Myler's penalty put Saints ahead after 30 minutes.

Saints extended their lead on the stroke of half-time as Nic Groom began a move that was finished by Haywood, and the hosts did not let Worcester get close enough to really threaten the outcome after that.

Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder told BBC Radio Northampton:

"I'm all about getting a performance and winning; you want to play entertaining rugby but I'd rather win than lose.

"I think the players are all trying, there are some tired bodies but we're working hard and we're back in the top six.

"We're not playing as well as we could be, but we've got a combination of young and old and should be better next season."

Warriors director of rugby Gary Gold told BBC Hereford and Worcester:

"You lose games of rugby in two ways - you're either beaten by a better team or you create the problems yourself, and today I think we largely created the problems for ourselves.

"It's frustration, it's a second week in a row that we've had that - we need to be more clinical in our execution.

"I think Northampton are a very accomplished driving team and we neutralised them very well today and stopped them from exerting pressure."

Northampton: Tuala; K Pisi, Tuitavake, Mallinder, Foden (capt); Myler, Groom; Waller, Haywood, Brookes, Paterson, Day, Gibson, Clark, Harrison

Replacements: Clare, Waller, Hill, Ratuniyarawa, Dickinson, Dickson, Wilson, Estelles

Worcester: Adams; Heem, Olivier, Willison, Humphreys; Mills, Hougaard; Bower, Annett, Schonert, O'Callaghan (capt), Spencer, Dowson, Lewis, Potgieter

Replacements: Bregvadze, Leleimalefaga, Alo, Cavuabti, Mama, Baldwin, Lamb, Pennell

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