Defiant Warriors fightback to edge Bristol in thriller - The Worcester Observer

Defiant Warriors fightback to edge Bristol in thriller

Worcester Editorial 22nd May, 2015 Updated: 19th Oct, 2016   0

Greene King IPA Championship

Play off final first leg

Geoff Berkeley reports from Ashton Gate

IN ONE final act of defiance, Worcester Warriors dug deep to score what could prove to be a decisive try in their quest for promotion.




With time almost up at Ashton Gate, a battered and bruised Worcester side appeared to be beaten for the third successive time to Bristol as they trailed 28-22.

But the visitors used ever ounce of energy they had left to drag themselves over the try-line one final time, with Niall Annett touching down at the death.


The try, which Ryan Lamb converted, ended what was a breath-taking encounter, which ebbed and flowed throughout the 80 exhilarating minutes.

Warriors will now hold a one-point advantage going into the second leg at Sixways and director of rugby Dean Ryan said the win had given his players a big psychological boost.

“Bristol threw everything at us and (Gavin) Henson’s kicking was killing us,” Ryan said.

“But we stood firm and saw it out and then to finish with a show of defiance was outstanding.

“I am pleased that we got a physiological lift by the nature of winning at the end because they had beaten us in two very tight games.”

Bristol will be without Ryan Jones (shoulder) and Gavin Henson (broken shin) for the final showdown due to injury.

This will be a big relief for Warriors as Henson made the visitors pay with impressive kicking. The former Wales international got Bristol off the mark with a third-minute penalty.

But once Worcester got their forward drive in motion they began to reap the benefits as Sam Betty was forced over from close range.

Already it was turning into a pulsating encounter as Bristol’s fans were soon off their feet when Mitch Eadie powered through to score. Henson added the extras to give Bristol a 10-5 advantage.

While the hosts’ runners were causing their opponents problems, Worcester’s forwards were doing just as much damage as Gaston Cortes’ yellow card was shortly followed by a penalty try.

Lamb duly dispatched the conversion to put Warriors back in front.

This was proving to be a crucial period for the visitors as Anthony Perenise, who came on as a replacement, left Bristol down to 13 men when he was yellow carded.

And Warriors made no mistake as they exploited space down the left, with Jonathan Thomas offloading to Cooper Vuna to score in the corner.

Worcester were now leading 17-10, but Lamb appeared to be struggling with the boot as he missed the conversion before going wayward with a penalty.

This gave Bristol a route back into the match and they took it as David Lemi dived over in the corner after Eadie burst upfield. Henson then landed the conversion to level the tie with only a minute left of the half.

But there was to be one final twist as Tom Biggs latched on to Lamb’s pass before darting through to score.

The referee’s whistle brought a thrilling first half to an end and it also seemed to put both teams out of their stride.

Henson scored the first points of the half with a penalty, but it was not until Jack Wallace made a sensational run from deep when the match burst back into life again.

A stunning tackle from Lamb stopped the flying full back in his tracks as Worcester went on to show their resilience in defence.

A lengthy stoppage following an injury to Henson, who missed a penalty moments before, added to the tension as the match entered its final ten minutes.

It was now down to which defence would crack next and when Lemi burst through to score Worcester looked like they were going to let the match slip away.

Nicky Robinson then added a penalty moments later to give his side a six point cushion.

But Warriors refused to give in and after Leonardo Senatore snatched a line-out, they launched one last attack which resulted in Annett crashing over.

Online Editions

Catch up on your local news by reading our e-editions on the Worcester Observer.

Public Notices

View and download all of the public notices in the Worcester Observer.

Printing

We can provide all of your printing needs at competitive rates.

Reader Travel

Check out all of the latest reader travel offers to get your hands on some free gifts.