Premiership: Wasps back to form with narrow 17-13 win at Worcester

Wasps number eight Tom Willis set his side on their way to victory at Worcester with the first try of the afternoon - and his third of the season

Wasps recovered from back-to-back Premiership losses as they sentenced Worcester to a ninth straight defeat.

After Worcester went ahead with Jamie Shillcock's early penalty, Wasps turned it round to lead 14-3 at the break when veteran Jimmy Gopperth converted tries from James Gaskell and Tom Willis.

Charlie Atkinson's penalty stretched the visitors' lead to 17-3.

Warriors secured a losing bonus point with Nick David's try converted by Shillcock, who added another penalty.

But it could not prevent a 13th straight league win for Wasps over Worcester.

They have not lost to Warriors since moving to the Midlands from Buckinghamshire in 2014.

Weakened Worcester, who were without 14 players, have not won since the opening day of the season. And, although they have picked up a losing bonus point in three of their last four games, they are kept off the bottom of the Premiership only by the four-point win they were awarded for the Covid-19 cancellation on New Year's Day against Harlequins.

But, despite missing injured players of the calibre of Glasgow-bound Duncan Weir, Billy Searle, Francois Hougaard and Melani Nanai, and discarded England centre Ollie Lawrence, who had to remain in his Six Nations bubble, this was still a creditable display.

Warriors veteran full-back Chris Pennell is the only survivor of his side's last Premiership win Wasps at Sixways in March 2013

In horribly cold, rain-lashed conditions, in a game that might not have gone ahead but for Warriors' artificial pitch, after looking beaten at half-time, Alan Solomons' side rallied well to have the better of the second half.

The pressure of going down has now been removed by Friday's announcement by the RFU that relegation has been scrapped for this season. But Warriors can now go into their next few fixtures in a more uplifted mood.

Next Saturday's home game with Newcastle may now be in doubt after the late Covid-caused cancellation of the Falcons' scheduled trip to Northampton on Saturday. And, beyond that, the following weekend brings the bottom-of-the-table battle at Kingsholm against current backmarkers Gloucester.

They also have the selection issue of when to slot in recently signed England winger Chris Ashton, who is still waiting to make his debut three weeks after signing, having been overlooked now for three games.

Wasps move back up to sixth, 10 points behind leaders Bristol, after their first win since losing Wales lock Will Rowlands and England trio Paolo Odogwu, Dan Robson and Jack Willis to Six Nations duty, on top of the loss of injured skipper Joe Launchbury.

It was a mixed weekend for the Willis family. While Wasps number eight Tom grabbed his third try of the season, that came 24 hours after luckless elder brother Jack earned himself a spell on the sidelines after being stretchered off with a knee injury in England's win over Italy, just minutes after coming on to score his first Six Nations try.

• Italy's Negri so sorry over Willis injury

Reaction - 'Wasps were clinical'

Worcester head coach Jonathan Thomas told BBC Hereford & Worcester:

"I'm really proud of the effort in the second half into that wind but the reality is that we should have won.

"Wasps were clinical with their opportunities, with a couple of first-half opportunist tries. We weren't.

"We did everything to win that game and of course it's frustrating to lose, but losing can become a habit.

"We just have to break the habit of losing. It's about believing. I believe in the players. But they've just got to believe in themselves."

Wasps head coach Lee Blackett told BBC CWR:

"We were outstanding in the first half and won most of the battles. In the second half we then got a bit sloppy.

"From looking in total control, suddenly we weren't. But we've had some very tight games here. You always know it's going to be tough here.

"On Jack Willis, the early indications are that it's a serious injury. At least it looks like he hasn't done his ACL, which would be the more serious, but it looks like he'll be out for several months.

"It's gut wrenching for everyone at the club because we know how hard he's worked to get back into England contention."

Worcester Warriors: Pennell; Humphreys, Venter, Beck, David; Shillcock, Simpson; Waller, Miller, Schonert, G Kitchener, Clegg, Hill (capt), Kvesic, du Preez.

Replacements: Cutting, Thomas, Palframan, A Kitchener, van Velze, Heaney, Smith, O Morris.

Wasps: Minozzi; Kibirige, Fekitoa, Gopperth, Bassett; Atkinson, Wolstenholme; West, Taylor, Brookes, Douglas, Gaskell, Shields (capt), B Morris, T Willis.

Replacements: Cruse, Harris, Toomaga-Allen, Vukasinovic, Vailanu, Vellacott, Umaga, Le Bourgeois.

Referee: Andrew Jackson (RFU).

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