Quins win in style to go top

Easter: Second-half hat-trick

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Nick Easter helped himself to a hat-trick of tries as Harlequins hammered Worcester 60-14 at the Twickenham Stoop.

The England number eight bagged his treble in the space of 12 minutes, the home side crossing 10 times in all in a one-sided rout of their struggling opponents.

Quins' biggest victory of the season sees them take over at the top of the Guinness Premiership on points difference, with Leicester and Bath also now sitting on 57 points.

The Warriors managed tries through Charlie Fellows and Shaun Ruwers but fell away in the closing stages, conceding five tries in the last 20 minutes.

Luxury items

While opposite number Dean Richards had the luxury of recalling England duo Danny Care and Ugo Monye, Worcester boss Mike Ruddock opted to give five youngsters their full debuts for the rearranged midweek fixture.

The visitors, who are still not safe from relegation, competed bravely in the opening half, despite conceding a try inside five minutes.

Tani Fuga broke the deadlock in a ferocious start from Quins that saw them force eight penalties inside the opening 11 minutes.

Further opportunities were spurned when both Care and fly-half Chris Malone were guilty of going alone rather than making the most of team-mates in support.

Having barely managed a touch for much of the first quarter Worcester stunned their rivals when winger Fellows accepted Michael Penn's inside pass to go over.

Despite Joe Carlisle's conversion levelling matters at seven apiece, the Warriors' joy was short-lived as they found themselves 19-7 down by the break.

Care darted off the back of the ruck to gallop over, with Malone adding the conversion, before Chris Robshaw charged over after skipper Will Skinner had opted to kick a penalty to touch rather than go for the posts.

To their credit the visitors came out quickly after the interval, Penn's excellent break setting up Ruwers from close range. Loki Crichton added the extras.

Angry Quins

The Worcester try only seemed to anger Quins, though, and they responded with Jordan Turner-Hall touching down to seal a bonus point after just 47 minutes.

Monye got in on the act soon after, half-time sub David Strettle setting up his fellow winger in the corner, and, with Worcester's Graham Kitchener in the sin-bin, Mike Brown finished off a flowing move for try number six.

From then on it became the Easter show - the number eight rumbling over for two close-range efforts, both of which were converted by fellow replacement Waisea Luveniyali.

Tom Williams added his name to the now lengthy list of try-scorers before Easter ended the night by completing his treble, a fine haul for a forward that didn't enter the action until straight after the break.