Premiership: Leicester 36-16 Worcester - Tigers cruise to bonus-point win over Warriors

Freddie Burns scored Leicester's second try and kicked two conversions and a penalty for a 13-point individual haul

Leicester Tigers ran in five tries as the leaders bounced back from two straight Premiership defeats to comfortably beat Worcester.

First-half tries from Hosea Saumaki, Freddie Burns and a penalty try gave the hosts a 16-point half-time lead.

Billy Searle kicked two penalties in reply, then added another before converting Alex Hearle's try.

But Hanro Liebenberg and Tommy Reffell crossed as Tigers closed out victory.

Tigers were without four players on England duty on the opening weekend of the Six Nations Championship - Freddie Steward, Ben Youngs, Ellis Genge, all started the Calcutta Cup clash with Scotland at Murrayfield, with George Ford on the bench.

But they ended the day still seven points clear at the top from second-placed Saracens, who hammered Bath.

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Worcester, in their second game under new boss Steve Diamond, were without their two Scottish stars, Duhan van der Merwe and Rory Sutherland, who were at least on the winning side at Murrayfield.

But it was still the least surprising of their four straight Premiership losses since Christmas - even on a ground at which they had won on two of their past four visits.

Barring winger Hearle's interception try, Worcester did not have much of a look-in, although conceding only four tries and a penalty try was at least an improvement on the seven they shipped when mauled 48-3 by the Tigers at Sixways in October.

The penalty try just before the break, for illegally halting a second maul, led to a yellow card for hooker Niall Annett just a minute after prop Christian Judge had been sin-binned for entering the first maul at the side.

Even down to 13 men, Searle kicked his third penalty seven minutes after the restart following a high tackle on Francois Venter.

However, any hopes of an unlikely Worcester comeback were snuffed out when home skipper Liebenberg plunged over from less than a metre out to secure a try bonus point on 51 minutes.

The Warriors were then presented with their first try in two games against Tigers this season when Burns' long, looping pass was intercepted by Hearle.

But Guy Porter then set up Reffell to complete the scoring before a bizarre finish when Leicester had both Olly Robinson and Saumaki sent to the sin-bin within seconds of each other.

Having lost their last two Premiership games under former head coach Jonathan Thomas, Warriors have now also lost their first two under new boss Steve Diamond

Leicester Tigers head coach Steve Borthwick:

"Defence is always a team effort. But we put ourselves in a vulnerable position, with a couple of yellow cards which we certainly don't want.

"But there were certainly plenty of positive aspects. We scored some good tries and took some nice opportunities.

"And you saw a team fighting on their own goal line and that's a good sign - it shows a lot about the spirit and heart within the team."

Worcester boss Steve Diamond:

"It was similar to last week, really. We flatter ourselves sometimes being in the game and then capitulate for two or three moments that results in the scoreboard moving away from us.

"There were one or two individual errors where we let Leicester move away from us. We then came out after the break and got no points, but we effectively won the second half.

"We were spirited, we did well during the 13-man escapade when we were down to 13, as we scored six points. We have to cut out the errors, but thinking under pressure at this level is easier said than done."

Leicester: Hegarty; Potter, Porter, Kelly, Saumaki; Burns, Wigglesworth; Whitcombe, Montoya, Cole, Wells, Green, Martin, Liebenberg (capt), Wiese.

Replacements: Clare, Leatigaga, Heyes, Snyman, Reffell, Robinson, Van Poortvliet, Scott.

Sin bin: Saumaki (80), Robinson (80).

Worcester: Shillcock; Humphreys, Venter, Beck, Hearle; Searle, Simpson; Waller, Annett, Judge, Batley, Clegg, Hatherell, Hill (capt), Kvesic.

Replacements: Miller, Owen, Tyack, Dodd, Vailanu, Chudley, Howe, Doel.

Sin bin: Judge (31), Annett (32).

Referee: Luke Pearce (RFU).

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