Premiership: Worcester Warriors 16-38 Saracens - Max Malins scores four tries in Sarries win

  • Published
Max MalinsImage source, Rex Features
Image caption,

Saracens' England back Max Malins took his try tally to 16 for the season

Gallagher Premiership

Worcester: (9) 16

Try: Howe Con: Searle Pens: Smith 3

Saracens: (17) 38

Tries: Malins 4, Earl, Segun Cons: Farrell 3, M Vunipola

Max Malins' four tries helped Saracens consolidate second place in the Premiership with a comfortable 38-16 victory at Worcester.

Malins, Ben Earl and Rotimi Segun all scored tries for Sarries in the opening quarter of the game as Fin Smith replied with three penalties.

England back Malins sealed a bonus point soon after the restart and got a third with 22 minutes to go.

He ran in his fourth 13 minutes later before Tom Howe's late consolation try.

The bonus-point win keeps Saracens second in the Premiership, four points off leaders Leicester who secured a top-two finish after beating Bristol.

Sarries need just one more win from their final two games to secure second place and a home semi-final in the play-offs, while Worcester remain second-from-bottom after Gloucester thrashed last-placed Bath.

Malins' fifth-minute try in the corner was confirmed by television replay before his England team-mate Earl raced in from 50 metres after the ball came loose from a Worcester line-out.

Segun went over four minutes later after being set free following a driving maul.

Worcester began to get into it as the game went on but could not find a way past Saracens' defence, while the Warriors did well to hold Segun up over their tryline in first-half stoppage time.

But Malins' swift counter-attack shortly after the restart ended the game as a contest before Sean Maitland broke and fed Owen Farrell, who floated a pass to the Saracens full-back for his third try.

Malins' fourth was another from long range before Howe scored for a fifth successive game.

Worcester lead rugby consultant Steve Diamond told BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester:

"I'm disappointed with the opening 10 or 15 minutes of the first half and similar in the second half.

"I think we gave Saracens, who are a very good side, easy opportunities and they took them.

"Then it was trying to climb back into it, which we never managed to do."

Saracens director of rugby Mark McCall:

"Max is one of those players who make things happen and he makes a habit of scoring tries for us.

"It's a solid away win as a few sides have tripped up here and to come away with six tries to one is a good effort.

"We only need a couple of points now to secure a home semi-final so we are in a strong position."

Warriors: Heward; Humphreys, O Morris, Venter, Howe; Smith, Simpson; Sutherland, Annett, Judge, Batley, G Kitchener, Hatherell, Hill (capt), Kvesic.

Replacements: Miller, Waller, McCallum, A Kitchener, Lewis, Chudley, Searle, Beck.

Saracens: Malins; Segun, Daly, Tompkins, Maitland; Farrell (capt), Davies; Mawi, George, Koch, Isiekwe, McFarland, Christie, Earl, B Vunipola.

Replacements: Pifeleti, Barrington, Clarey, Hunter-Hill, Wray, Van Zyl, Manu Vunipola, Taylor.

Rugby Weekly Union podcast - listen and subscribe here

Around the BBC

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.