Worcester 13-17 Wasps: Lee Blackett's side end losing streak as Warriors' woes continue at Sixways
James Gaskell and Tom Willis scored tries for Wasps, who had lost their previous two fixtures to Harlequins and Northampton Saints; the Warriors have now lost nine successive fixtures
By PA
Last Updated: 14/02/21 4:08pm
Worcester's miserable run continued as they fell to a ninth successive defeat, with Wasps putting their recent woes behind them and running out 17-13 winners.
Wasps had lost their last two fixtures, at home to Harlequins and Northampton, but the disjointed Warriors allowed them to get back to winning ways in a poor match at Sixways.
James Gaskell and Tom Willis scored Wasps' tries, with Jimmy Gopperth converting both and Charlie Atkinson adding a penalty. Worcester's response was a try from Nick David to go with two Jamie Shillcock penalties and a conversion.
The Warriors struggled to overcome the absence of Ollie Lawrence, Francois Hougaard and Melani Nani, who may have been able to provide some spark to their play.
Worcester, playing with the advantage of a strong wind, came close to scoring in the eighth minute. A well-judged cross-field kick from Shillcock saw Perry Humphreys race to collect. The wing looked set to score but as he was challenged by Wasps full-back Matteo Minozzi, the ball escaped his grasp.
Two minutes later Warriors took the lead when Shillcock kicked a penalty, but it was short-lived as the visitors immediately responded with the first try after Gaskell finished off a series of forward drives by crashing over.
Gopperth converted before Shillcock's long-range penalty rebounded back off a post, so Worcester's dominance of possession and territory wasn't rewarded and they were made to pay for it.
Wasps were always the more dangerous side and three minutes before the interval they scored their second try. A neat off-load from Malakai Fekitoa gave Willis the opportunity to brush aside some poor tackling on a 45-metre run to the line. Gopperth converted to give his side a 14-3 interval lead.
Humphreys was replaced at half-time by Oli Morris as the wing failed a head injury assessment. This coincided with an upturn in Worcester's fortunes as they pressurised the opposition line for the opening period of the second half.
However, they continued to be clueless in attack so the endeavour of their pack came to nought as the Wasps' defence held firm which resulted in a scoreless third quarter.
Gopperth was replaced by Michael Le Bourgeois, so up stepped Atkinson to extend Wasps' lead with a straightforward penalty.
It was a long wait but eventually Worcester created something to score a try and bring them back in contention; Francois Venter chipped forward before Michael Heaney hacked on and collected to send David over.
Shillcock converted and then kicked a penalty as his side totally dominated the second half but Wasps just survived to take the four points.
