Worcester 19-14 Bristol: Warriors beat Bears to end Premiership losing streak

Van der Merwe returned from international duty to open the scoring for Worcester

Worcester ended their five-match Premiership losing streak with a close-fought victory over Bristol Bears.

Duhan van der Merwe and Ashley Beck gave Worcester an early 14-point lead.

But two tries in quick succession from Steven Luatua and Max Lahiff levelled the score before half-time.

Sione Vailanu put the Warriors back in front and in a second half with little to separate the sides it proved the decisive score, and enough to secure a much needed win for the Warriors.

Kick-off at Sixways was pushed back by 30 minutes due to the risk posed by Storm Eunice but the wind had significantly calmed by the time the teams came on to the pitch.

A minute's applause was then held in tribute to Evesham winger Jack Jeffery, who died on 12 February after sustaining a serious injury while scoring a try for his club.

Worcester had not won in the league since beating Wasps on 4 December, but this was their first win since Steve Diamond took over as boss in January.

With Van der Merwe back from Six Nations with Scotland, Worcester took only four minutes to score.

The Lions winger ran down the touchline to get on the end of a kick-through from Jamie Shillcock for his fourth Premiership try of the season before Welsh centre Beck matched that tally by crossing for the second in the corner from close range.

Bristol built slowly and as the penalty count racked up against the hosts, Luatua bundled over at the second time of asking from an attacking line-out.

Three minutes later Lahiff then levelled the scores, picking the ball up from five metres out to finish under the posts.

An impressive try from Vailanu edged Worcester back in front as he scooped up from the ruck, palmed off two defenders and powered over on the right.

Bristol's resilience showed when Jack Bates was sent to the bin on the hour for a deliberate knock-on and the hosts failed to capitalise on their man advantage and put any more points on the board.

The Bears have not been helped by injuries in recent weeks, and the loss of scrum-half Toby Venner - signed from Gloucester this week - not long after he came onwill have added to Pat Lam's troubles in a position where the team are already short.

Worcester were unable to break Bristol's defence to wrap up a bonus-point try, as Billy Searle made a try-saving tackle on Alapati Leiua to deny the visitors a last-gasp surge and confine them to a second consecutive defeat.

Warriors boss Steve Diamond told BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester:

"We've had 40-minute good performances over the last couple of weeks but we haven't managed to put it all together.

"I'm disappointed with the penalty count again, but we've got a set of lads who get stuck in. That's what impresses me most.

"We can work on the penalty count. We can get better at some other things but they stick to the job. Everyone makes errors - me included - but they put it behind them immediately and get on with the next job."

Bears director of rugby Pat Lam told BBC Radio Bristol:

"We got off to a poor start by gifting up two tries relatively easy. We had all the momentum at half-time at 14-all. We talked about how we could put some real pressure on them and bring the tempo of the game up.

"We end up with 30% possession and we had turnovers with a try beckoning. We created so much space but someone would lose the ball and the last play of the game could have been a fantastic finish with four against two, and we turned the ball over there as well.

"That's unfortunate and we've all got to take the price. The boys who have turned over the ball are disappointed but that's just the way it is. That's just what rugby is."

Worcester: Shillcock; Humphreys, Hearle, Beck (capt), Van der Merwe; Smith, Simpson; McCallum, Annett, Judge, Garvey, G Kitchener, Batley, Kvesic, Vailanu.

Replacements: Miller, Waller, Tyack, A Kitchener, Clegg, Chudley, Searle, Atkinson.

Bristol: Lloyd; Bates, Radradra, O'Conor, Leiua; Sheedy, Strang; Y Thomas, Kerr, Lahiff, Holmes, Vui, Luatua (capt), D Thomas, Harding.

Replacements: Thacker, Woolmore, Challenger, Joyce, Jeffries, Venner, Frisch, Purdy.

Sin bin: Jack Bates (60)

Referee: Wayne Barnes (RFU).

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