IN DIRECTOR of Rugby Gary Gold’s first Aviva Premiership outing at the helm of Warriors, his side put in their best performance of the season to defeat reigning champions Saracens at Sixways on Saturday.
The inspiring Premiership victory, Warriors’ third of the campaign, lifts the club five points above basement side Bristol.
After a 35 minute slugfest, in which time only nine points from the boot of Ryan Mills separated the two sides, Saracens’ Chris Ashton sprung on a loose ball for the game’s opening try.
But another three points from Mills saw Warriors take a 12-7 advantage into the second-half.
A penalty apiece for Mills and Lozowski kept the game tight at 15-10 as the second period wore on.
But Mills’ accurate kicking was proving pivotal as he scored another three penalties to open a 14-point advantage.
Saracens threw one last roll on the dice as Schalk Brits drove over to score, before Lozowski scored another penalty, but Warriors hung on defiantly to secure Gold’s first Premiership win.
Under their new chief, Warriors started brightly but failed to get on the scoreboard early on when fly-half Mills missed a penalty from the halfway line.
The hosts were pushing forward with intent however and it wasn’t long before Mills had another chance in front of the posts, which he converted to gift Warriors a three-point lead within the opening ten minutes.
A physical battle ensued as Saracens tried to implement their Premiership and European winning status on the game, but Worcester helm firm.
The hosts then extended their lead with another Mills penalty, before Saracens’ Mike Ellery received a yellow card for a late challenge on Francois Hougaard.
Another Mills penalty followed, opening a nine-point advantage for the Sixways side, but Saracens hitback before the interval through Ashton, after he pounced on a ball Alex Lozowski had kicked across the tryline.
After the latter converted to reduce the deficit to two points, Mills stepped up to score his fourth penalty of the afternoon to see his side enter the break 12-7 up.
Lozowski’s early second-half penalty fell wide to the left, but the visitors looked a different side to that of the first-half as they began to apply pressure and dominant possession and territory.
But Warriors’ defensive resilience kept the London side at bay time and again, before Mills stretched the slim lead to eight points with another long-range penalty.
But Lozowski replied immediately with a penalty of his own, keeping the contest evenly poised.
Another brace of penalties from the Warriors’ fly-half saw the hosts gain the ascendancy as they bullied their forward in search for their first try of the afternoon.
Despite Warriors failing to get convert their chances deep in Saracens’ 22, another penalty from Mills put the hosts on course for their first win against the Allianz Park outfit since November 2012.
But the reigning champions weren’t going to gift Worcester a comfortable afternoon as their pack put in a gruelling driving maul, which saw Brits ground.
With the chance to convert and create a one-score game late on, Lozowski missed to leave a packed Sixways rocking.
Lozowski did score a late consolation penalty, but Warriors saw the game out to claim an historic and vital win.
Warriors return to Premiership action next week when they take on Exeter Chiefs at Sixways on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).