Premiership: Bath 40-15 Worcester Warriors
- Published
Gallagher Premiership |
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Bath (26) 40 |
Tries: Ellis, Stooke 2, Walker, De Glanville, Matavesi Cons: Matavesi 5 |
Worcester (15) 15 |
Tries: Searle, Fidow Con: Searle Pen: Searle |
Bath kept up the pressure on the Premiership top four with a bonus-point victory over Worcester Warriors.
After wins for play-off rivals Sale, Bristol and Wasps, Bath knew any slip-up would dent their top-four chances.
But four first-half tries from Tom Ellis, Elliott Stooke, Jack Walker and Tom de Glanville made sure they would take five points with victory.
Further scores from Stooke and a superb solo effort from Josh Matavesi stretched the lead after the break.
Worcester got on the scoresheet thanks to first-half tries from Billy Searle and Ed Fidow but were outclassed as their poor run extended to one win in 12 league games. Captain Will Butler was also stretchered off with his left ankle in a splint midway through the first half.
Bath remain a point behind fourth-placed Wasps, who picked up their own bonus-point win earlier on Wednesday with a 54-7 thumping of Leicester Tigers.
However, they still face a tough task to make the play-offs, as their season concludes with away games at second-placed Sale and reigning champions Saracens sandwiching a home meeting with West Country rivals Gloucester.
Stuart Hooper made 11 changes from the side which beat Harlequins, while Worcester only kept centre Ollie Lawrence in the starting XV from Friday's defeat by Bristol.
A young Warriors side did briefly take the lead when Searle capitalised on a mix-up in midfield to run in the opening try.
From then on Bath's pack dominated with forwards Ellis, Stooke and Walker all going over from close range before fly-half de Glanville collected out wide and dotted down the bonus-point try.
Stooke showed his strength to crash through Worcester's defensive line shortly after the restart and Matavesi's clever dummy allowed him to accelerate down the middle and touch down under the sticks to put Bath out of sight.
The final 30 minutes fizzled out with no further scoring by either side, but Bath had already done the job.
Bath director of rugby Stuart Hooper:
"We've scored 81 points this week so we've been getting over the try-line.
"That's enjoyable and it breeds momentum and excitement among the lads. They're already thinking about preparing for Sale on Sunday.
"There's confidence in the guys that the tries will come if we apply the pressure."
Worcester director of rugby Alan Solomons:
"We've treated these games like pre-season and it's given opportunities to a lot of our young players, including from our academy.
"It's been good from that perspective. This period will stand us in good stead. It was a big ask for us to come here and be successful."
Bath: De Glanville; Rokoduguni, Clark, Redpath, Hamer-Webb; Matavesi, Chudley; Boyce, Walker, Judge, McNally (capt), Stooke, Ellis, Reid, Mercer.
Replacements: Batty, Schoeman, Verden, Williams, Underhill, Green, Bailey, Joseph.
Worcester Warriors: Pennell; Fidow, Lawrence, Butler (capt), David; Searle, Kitto; Black, Cutting, Palframan, Clegg, Scott, Cox, Lewis, Dodd.
Replacements: Miller, Owen, J Morris, Hill, Williams, Simpson, van Breda, O Morris.
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- Published25 March 2018
- Published15 February 2019