Worcester extend winning run in Aviva Premiership with victory over Harlequins
By Rory O'Callaghan
Last Updated: 19/03/16 7:29pm
Worcester extended their winning run to three matches with an impressive 21-15 victory over Harlequins at the Twickenham Stoop.
First-half tries from South Africans Wynand Olivier and GJ van Velze helped the Warriors achieve a third successive victory for the first time since 2007.
The home side, who have now lost seven of their last nine matches, slip to sixth in the Aviva Premiership following the defeat.
However, it was Quins who started the match the better of the two sides and took an early lead through the boot of fly-half Ben Botica.
The New Zealand-born back then traded kicks with Worcester's Tom Heathcote to level the scores at 6-6 midway through the first half.
Worcester edged ahead on 19 minutes when Olivier shrugged off two weak tackles to cross over for the game's opening try.
The visitors extended their lead in controversial circumstances 10 minutes later. Harlequins winger Henry Cheeseman appeared to have been forced into touch before throwing the ball back into play.
The assistant referee raised his flag, causing players on both teams to stop. However, the referee signaled that play was still active.
Van Velze took advantage of the confusion to pick up the loose ball and run in a second try, which Heathcote converted after a TMO review. Botica softened the blow with a third penalty to leave the hosts trailing 18-9 at half-time.
Both teams struggled to retain possession after the interval and the scores remained unchanged until the hour mark, when Botica further reduced the deficit with a fourth successful kick.
Heathcote and Botica exchanged a further penalty each in the closing stages but Quins were unable to bridge the six-point gap, as Worcester held out for a deserved win.
