Worcester recorded their first Zurich Premiership victory - and plunged
Harlequins into an early-season crisis - as they comfortably collected a
five-point maximum at Sixways.
Hapless Quins suffered a fifth successive league defeat, leaving them propping
up the Premiership almost a quarter of the way through the league campaign.
Their next two games are against Gloucester and Leicester, suggesting no
immediate turnaround in fortunes.
But Worcester could not care less after they bounced back admirably from last
week's half-century hammering at Sale and moved up to ninth place.
Early tries by ex-Quins star Pat Sanderson and centre Ben Hinshelwood gave
Worcester a dream start, establishing a 14-0 ahead inside 16 minutes.
Samoan Siaosi Vaili provided the clincher from close range midway through the
second half, before his fellow replacement Lee Fortey then guaranteed an extra
point with Worcester's fourth try and James Brown completed the rout in injury
time.
Brown booted four conversions to finish with 13 points and Quins could only
manage a Luke Sherriff touchdown, converted by Jeremy Staunton, in reply.
Worcester knew that struggling Quins' Sixways visit gave them a gilt-edged
chance to register an opening Premiership win, and they dominated territory and
possession throughout.
Inevitably, given such a dismal run of results, Quins were short on composure
and confidence, factors which offered Worcester every opportunity to prolong
their misery.
The skies were suitably leaden above Sixways, reflecting the mood of two clubs
who between them this season had conceded 232 Premiership points and suffered
eight defeats.
A prolonged thunderstorm an hour before kick-off guaranteed a greasy playing
surface, hardly conditions that Quins' Lions centre combination of Will
Greenwood and Dafydd James would have wanted.
Welsh international James made his first league start since joining Quins from
the now-defunct Celtic Warriors, while England star Greenwood returned after two
weeks out recovering from a head injury.
Worcester's former Quins wing Daren O'Leary was replaced by Dale Rasmussen,
with another Quins old boy Matt Powell starting at scrum-half and England
hopeful Clive Stuart-Smith again left to kick his heels on the bench.
Worcester made the early running, with Powell prominent around the forward
fringes, and they went ahead in classic set-piece fashion after 10 minutes.
Lock Craig Gillies took a clean line-out catch 15 metres out from the Quins
line, and his fellow forwards drove on relentlessly, enabling skipper Sanderson
to claim an impressive touchdown that Brown converted from wide out.
It got worse for Quins just five minutes later, and this time they were undone
from inside the Worcester half as Powell sparked a thrilling counter-attack.
His pace and angle split Quins' defence open, and the move ended with Scottish
international Hinshelwood touching down in the corner. Brown again landed a
difficult conversion.
Quins were at sixes and sevens, but skipper Andre Vos knew they had to respond
quickly, and their reply came before a lively opening quarter had ended.
Prop Ceri Jones powered forward with line-out possession, and although he was
tackled, the supporting Sherriff made the most of his chance, with Staunton's
conversion halving the deficit.
Worcester tightened up defensively after Sherriff punished them, and they had
chances to extend their lead before the break, but the Warriors sacrificed a
couple of kickable penalties before Brown rifled a 30-metre chance wide.
Trailing by seven points at the break, Quins needed to start the second period
by establishing supremacy, but they were immediately put under pressure and had
full-back Gavin Duffy sin-binned for a technical offence.
Worcester strived to make their temporary one-man advantage count, and it
required some desperate last-ditch defending from Quins when home centre Thomas
Lombard dived for the corner.
French international Lombard was narrowly denied a try, yet Worcester kept
battering away before their perseverance was rewarded.
Hooker Ben Daly crashed through Quins' defensive front-line, causing
sufficient damage for Vaili to power over. Brown once again added the extras.
Worcester then turned the screw in terms of territory, going flat out for a
bonus point that arrived four minutes from time when Fortey sent a 7,000-strong
Sixways crowd wild.
Teams:
Worcester: Delport, Rasmussen, Hinshelwood, Lombard, Gollings,
Brown, Powell, Windo, Daly, Lyman, Collier, Gillies, Greeff,
Sanderson, Hickey.
Replacements: Stuart-Smith for Powell (57),
Sparks for Windo (68), Fortey for Lyman (55),
Gabey for Collier (51), Vaili for Greeff (17).
Not Used: van Niekerk, O'Leary.
Tries: Sanderson, Hinshelwood, Vaili, Fortey, Brown.
Cons: Brown 4.
Harlequins: Duffy, Harder, Greenwood, James, Keogh, Staunton,
So'oialo, Jones, Tiatia, Dawson, Rudzki, Miall, Sherriff, Vos,
Diprose.
Replacements: Monye for Keogh (57), Dunne for Staunton (52),
Lambert for Dawson (67), Palepoi for Rudzki (67).
Not Used: Fuga, Winters, Easter.
Sin Bin: Duffy (45).
Tries: Sherriff.
Cons: Staunton.
Att: 7,235
Ref: S Leyshon (RFU).
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