European Challenge Cup: Worcester Warriors 30-20 CA Brive

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Worcester hooker Joe Taufete'e had previously only scored two tries for the WarriorsImage source, Rex Features
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Worcester hooker Joe Taufete'e had previously only scored two tries for the Warriors

European Rugby Challenge Cup

Worcester (17) 30

Tries: Taufete'e 3, Waller Pens: Lance 2 Cons: Lance 2

Brive (10) 20

Tries: Namy 2, Brugnaut Pens: Ugalde Cons: Ugalde

Worcester hooker Joe Taufete'e scored a first-half hat-trick as Worcester claimed their first win of the season with a bonus-point Challenge Cup victory over Brive.

Ethan Waller got Warriors' lone second-half try, but victory came at a cost at Sixways after an early ankle injury for England and Lions centre Ben Te'o.

New signing Jono Lance's 10 points came from two penalties and two conversions.

Brive scored three tries through Guillaume Namy (2) and Julien Brugnaut.

Warriors, who began the game already without 13 injured players, could have done without the loss of Te'o, who went off when it was still scoreless.

But, in the meeting of the Premiership and the French Top 14's two bottom sides, they offset an early converted try to come back and claim their first victory in any competition since April.

Warriors in Europe

  • Worcester Warriors reached the Challenge Cup final in 2008, losing 24-16 to Bath at Kingsholm.

  • A year later, they beat Brive in the quarter-finals before losing 22-11 to Bourgoin in the semis.

  • Since then, they have failed to qualify from their group, finishing 3rd (1010), 2nd (2012), 2nd (2013), 4th (2014), 4th (2016) and 3rd (2017).

  • Last season, they lost narrowly in both group games with Brive, 25-24 at Sixways, before being beaten 17-14 in France by Gaetan Germain's long-range added-time penalty.

Line-ups

Worcester: Pennell; Howe, Olivier, Te'o, Humphreys; Shillcock, Arr; Waller, Taufete'e, Milasinovich, Scotland-Williamson, Phillips, Taylor, Lewis, van Velze (capt).

Replacements: Singleton, Bower, Alo, Barry, Williams, Dowsett, Lance, Hammond.

Brive: Namy; Masilevu, Le Bourhis, Petre, Megdoud; Ugalde, Lobzhanidze; Devisme, Acquier, Bekoshivili, Uys, Koyamaibole, Hireche (capt), Narisia, Marais.

Replacements: Tadjer, Brugnaut, Jourdain, Johnston, Martin, Cazenave, Mignardi, Romanet.

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