Hougaard helps Warriors end losing streak

The win was the Warriors' first since Round Four.

Wasps continued their recent run of good form when the beat Bath 24-18 at the Recreation Ground.

The win was Wasps fifth in a row now with the four points moving them up to third on the Premiership table.

In London, Charlie Hodgson added 20 points to Ben Ransom's early try as Saracens bounced back from last weekend's humbling home defeat to edge past Gloucester 25-12.

We take a look at all Saturday's action!

Worcester Warriors 31-23 Sale Sharks

With no win since Round Four in the Premiership, the Warriors hit the ground running on Saturday as Carl Kirwan and Francois Hougaard both went over in the first half.

Dave Seymour gave the Sharks a foothold before the break but the accurate place kicking of Warriors stand-off flyhalf was in stark contrast to Danny Cipriani who had a tough day from the tee.

Tommy Taylor's try straight after half-time trimmed the lead again but Chris Pennell hit straight back for the home side to put them 31-13 to the good.

Sharks fullback Mike Haley then crossed twice in the final 20 minutes to claim the consolation of a four-try bonus point but Cipriani's four missed conversions meant the Warriors victory was secured – and lifts them to tenth in the league standings with Newcastle Falcons playing on Sunday. 

The Sharks have won their last six matches in all competitions – their best run since 2007, with their only defeat in their last four away games coming at Exeter on Boxing Day.

But it was Worcester who showed an early signal of intent at Sixways, sending a kickable penalty to the corner and when the line-out drew a second infringement Heathcote this time kicked them into a 3-0 lead.

The hosts were flying and in the ninth minute they had their first try, Kirwan dotting down out wide after fine breaks from first Pennell and then Cooper Vuna had made the initial inroads.

The extras leaked wide from Heathcote and Cipriani then kicked a penalty on Sale's first trip into the Warriors half to close the gap to 8-3.

That was a momentary hiccup for the hosts though, who wanted to make the most of their fine start and a stunning second score after Heathcote and Bryce Heem combined was denied by the TMO after a hand in the scrum.

But that was a momentary reprieve for the visitors as Springbok Hougaard's debut try came not long after following a strong move from the driving maul – the scrumhalf shrugging off Cipriani like he wasn't there to dot down. 

Heathcote's conversion sneaked over and when he added a penalty after that the Warriors were 18-3 up and looking good.

Sale needed a response before the interval and their own driving maul provided it when Seymour was driven over.

Cipriani could not convert and when Haley saw yellow before the break and Heathcote slotted over the subsequent penalty it was 21-8.

Sale fired the first shot in the second half, again the driving maul doing the damage as Taylor dotted down.

Cipriani's conversion was wide however and the Warriors' response was immediate, Pennell the beneficiary down the left after a number of drives close to the line.

Heathcote's nerveless kicking continued as he added the touchline conversion to make it 31-13 and with less than an hour gone.

But not for nothing were the Sharks unbeaten in 2016 and they conjured their own third try down the right before the hour mark, Haley the scorer.

Cipriani still had not found his kicking boots and he pulled this conversion just wide, a vital six points lost considering the 31-18 scoreline.

When Nic Schonert was sent to the sin bin in the 66th minute for persistent Warriors infringements the Sharks smelled blood.

But despite being camped in the Warriors 22 for the rest of the match, the hosts' defence held firm until the final minute as Haley snuck over after a fine offload from Mark Jennings, Cipriani's rushed conversion again wide to deny the Sharks a losing bonus point.

The scorers:

For Worcester Warriors:

Tries: Kirwan, Hougaard, Pennell

Cons: Heathcote 2

Pens: Heathcote 4

For Sale Sharks:

Tries: Seymour, Taylor, Haley 2

Pen: Cipriani

Yellow cards: Nic Schonert (Warriors); Mike Haley (Sale Sharks)

Teams:

Worcester Warriors: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Bryce Heem, 13 Wynand Olivier, 12 Ryan Mills, 11 Cooper Vuna, 10 Tom Heathcote, 9 Francois Hougaard, 8 Gerrit-Jan van Velze (captain), 7 Carl Kirwan, 6 Dewald Potgieter, 5 Darren Barry, 4 Donncha O'Callaghan, 3 Nick Schonert, 2 Jaba Bregvadze, 1 Val Rapava Ruskin.

Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Na'ama Leleimalefaga, 18 James Johnston, 19 Dan Sanderson, 20 Phil Dowson , 21 Luke Baldwin, 22 Ryan Lamb, 23 Andy Symons.

Sale Sharks: 15 Mike Haley, 14 Tom Arscott, 13 Sam James, 12 Sam Tuitupou, 11 Nev Edwards, 10 Danny Cipriani, 9 Peter Stringer, 8 Josh Beaumont (captain), 7 David Seymour, 6 Cameron Neild, 5 Jonathan Mills, 4 Bryn Evans, 3 Vadim Cobilas, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Ross Harrison.

Replacements: 16 Neil Briggs, 17 Eifion Lewis Roberts, 18 Brian Mujati, 19 Magnus Lund, 20 Mark Easter, 21 Chris Cusiter, 22 Joe Ford, 23 Mark Jennings.

Referee: Greg Garner

Bath 18-24 Wasps

A try in each half from Frank Halai set Wasps on their way to a 24-18 win over Bath at the Rec and into the the Premiership play-off places.

The Kiwi wing was at his predatory best, while Simon McIntyre also crossed in the second half although they couldn't manage the fourth try and a bonus point.

The loss leaves Bath's play-off hopes in tatters, with 14 points now separating them from the top four, although a late try from Amanaki Mafi at least allowed them to pick up a losing bonus point.

And it was Wasps who were on top early on trying to keep their hands on the ball despite the tricky conditions but they struggled to turn that dominance into points.

Their first chance went begging after a break from Nathan Hughes ended with a ball going astray when there appeared to be an overlap.

They were able to take the lead with an Elliot Daly penalty while both teams struggled at the line-out.

A Charles Piutau break got Wasps back into dangerous territory but an intentional knock-on from Rob Webber gave Ruaridh Jackson the chance to stretch the lead.

He couldn't do so however, his effort drifting wide, and after 25 minutes the teams were still separated by that sole Daly penalty.

The Wasps centre was off-target with another shot from long range soon after, but they were able to stretch their lead just before the half-hour.

An initial break from Dan Robson had them on the front foot and then some magic from Piutau sent Halai over for the try. The former All Black fullback collected the ball on the left wing, surged forward, handing off Francois Louw along the way, before offloading for Halai to finish. Jackson missed the conversion but Wasps led 8-0 despite having played into the wind in the first half.

Bath finally got on the board on 33 minutes, when Rhys Priestland knocked over a penalty when Wasps were penalised for hands in the ruck.

And having been under the cosh for much of the half, Bath were able to get back to within two points on the stroke of half-time.

After Matt Banahan had been held up just short of the line, Bath had a succession of scrums, and while they couldn't manufacture a try, they did earn a penalty which Priestland slotted to make it 8-6 at the break.

Wasps started the second half the better with an early penalty from Jackson as they led 11-6.

And that lead was soon extended when Halai crossed for his second with a poacher's finish. A kick over the top from Daly led to a foot race between Tom Homer and Halai, and the Wasps wing got there just in time to nudge it forward with his boot before diving on the ball before it squirted over the sidelines.

Jackson was well off-target with his touchline conversion but Wasps led by double figures for the first time.

Bath weren't about to fold though, and instead it was the introduction of the likes of Henry Thomas and Matt Garvey which appeared to spur them on.

A succession of drives from the forwards got the visitors on the back foot and earned Bath a string of penalties. They kicked to the corner just before the hour, before another penalty for maul entry.

Again Bath went to their line-out but the visitors held, and then Jimmy Gopperth, just off the bench, ripped the ball out of a tackle and allowed Piutau to clear Wasps' lines.

That appeared to take the steam out of Bath, and Wasps soon had their third try to put them in control. A little half-break from Gopperth followed by an offload to Christian Wade saw them stopped just short. The ball was recycled and though Daly couldn't quite go all the way, McIntyre popped up to charge through from the breakdown and dot down. Gopperth's conversion skewed horribly wide in the difficult conditions but Wasps led by three scores.

Wasps' discipline had been a concern during the concerted Bath attack though, and when the home side came back up the other end, Thomas Young was sin-binned for the succession of infringements.

Bath took advantage straight away, with Banahan putting a grubber through for fullback Homer to finish. The former London Irish man added the conversion to cut the deficit to eight with just under quarter of an hour to go.

G

opperth found his kicking boots though with a first penalty of the afternoon to keep Bath at a safe distance and try to kill off the hopes of a comeback.

They had their chance at a fourth try with seven minutes remaining after a scintillating break from Wade. He was just about hauled down but when quick ball followed, a try seemed inevitable. The defence drifted well though and Piutau decided to keep hold of the ball rather than feeding Halai outside him.

Bath found themselves reduced to chasing a losing bonus point but they did at least manage that, with Mafi deservedly getting the score off the back of a good driving maul. Homer missed the conversion but it made little difference.

The scorers:

For Bath:

Tries: Homer, Mafi

Con: Homer

Pens: Priestland

For Wasps:

Tries: Halai 2, McIintyre

Pens: Daly, Jackson, Gopperth

Yellow card: Thomas Young (Wasps)

Teams:

Bath: 15 Tom Homer, 14 Semesa Rokoduguni, 13 Matt Banahan, 12 Ollie Devoto, 11 Horacio Agulla, 10 Rhys Priestland, 9 Chris Cook, 8 Amanaki Mafi, 7 Francois Louw (captain), 6 Leroy Houston, 5 Dominic Day, 4 Charlie Ewels, 3 David Wilson, 2 Rob Webber, 1 Max Lahiff.

Replacements: 16 Ross Batty, 17 Beno Obano, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Matt Garvey, 20 Guy Mercer, 21 Jonathan Evans, 22 Jeff Williams, 23 Max Clark.

Wasps: 15 Charles Piutau, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Siale Piutau, 11 Frank Halai, 10 Ruaridh Jackson, 9 Dan Robson, 8 Nathan Hughes, 7 George Smith (captain), 6 Thomas Young, 5 Kearnan Myall, 4 Bradley Davies, 3 Jake Cooper-Woolley, 2 Ashley Johnson, 1 Simon McIntyre.

Replacements: 16 Carlo Festuccia, 17 Tom Birstow, 18 Lorenzo Cittadini, 19 James Cannon, 20 Alex Rieder, 21 Jamie Stevenson, 22 Jimmy Gopperth, 23 Rob Miller.

Referee: Tom Foley

Saracens 25-12 Gloucester

Saracens were well beaten by Wasps at Allianz Park six days earlier and welcomed a Gloucester side seeking a third straight win for the first time since 2012.

They made a flying start, as Ben Ransom crossed over inside the opening five minutes, but the hosts were forced to dig in, playing for an hour with just 14 men.

However, Charlie Hodgson added six penalties to his early conversion to keep the Cherry & Whites at bay and ensure Saracens will finish the weekend as Premiership leaders.

Ransom struck after just four minutes, sending a neat grubber kick through the Gloucester backline before skipping around his man, collecting the ball himself and crossing over, Hodgson converting.

The hosts didn't have it all their own way in the opening stages but a strong scrum and well-organised defence kept them marginally on top.

Hodgson took on a long-range penalty shortly before the quarter-hour mark, when the Cherry & Whites infringed at the maul, but his effort to extend the lead fell short.

Gloucester began to gain some momentum, Sione Kalamafoni pinching a line-out before a strong drive earned them a penalty and James Hook's boot found a promising touch.

Brad Barritt then found himself in the sin bin for a dangerous tackle on Ross Moriarty and flyhalf Hook pulled three points back from the tee on 23 minutes.

However, Hodgson hit back with three of his own shortly afterwards, after Craig Maxwell-Keys awarded Saracens a scrum penalty, as the visitors struggled to capitalise on their numerical advantage.

However, just as Barritt was due to return, referee Maxwell Keys – after deliberation with TMO Rowan Kitt – showed Schalk Brits a red card for violent conduct on the half-hour.

Hook and Hodgson traded penalties once again before but Gloucester narrowly missed a great chance to score their first try, Mark Atkinson feeding Dan Murphy but he spilt the final offload – Saracens leading 13-6 at the break.

That gap closed to four points shortly after the break when Hook sent over a third penalty, before Gloucester halted Juan Figallo just short of their own tryline.

Hodgson kept the visitors at an arm's length with another three points a quarter of an hour into the second half and this time it was his opposite number's turn to swiftly follow suit, after Sarries surrendered a scrum penalty.

At that point, Gloucester introduced Henry Trinder for his first Premiership appearance since the centre grabbed a try double against Harlequins on December 27, but he struggled to make an impact on the game.

Matt Kvesic's final contribution of the afternoon was to play the ball on the floor and hand Hodgson another pop at the posts, which he converted for a 19-12 lead with 15 minutes to play.

The experienced stand-off pushed the gap out to ten from the tee, thanks to a monstrous Saracens scrum, and another penalty three minutes from time ended any hopes Gloucester help of salvaging a losing bonus point.

The scorers:

For Saracens:

Try: Ransom

Con: Hodgson

Pens: Hodgson 6

For Gloucester:

Pens: Hook 4

Red card: Schalk Brits (Saracens)

Yellow card: Brad Barritt (Saracens)

Saracens: 15 Ben Ransom, 14 Mike Ellery, 13 Duncan Taylor, 12 Brad Barritt (captain), 11 Chris Wyles, 10 Charlie Hodgson, 9 Richard Wigglesworth, 8 Jackson Wray, 7 Will Fraser, 6 Michael Rhodes, 5 Jim Hamilton, 4 Hayden Smith, 3 Petrus Du Plessis, 2 Schalk Brits, 1 Rhys Gill.

Replacements: 16 Jared Saunders, 17 Titi Lamositele, 18 Juan Figallo, 19 Jacques Burger, 20 Kelly Brown, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Nils Mordt, 23 Marcelo Bosch.

Gloucester: 15 Billy Burns, 14 Charlie Sharples, 13 Billy Twelvetrees (captain), 12 Mark Atkinson, 11 Steve McColl, 10 James Hook, 9 Callum Braley, 8 Sione Kalamafoni, 7 Matt Kvesic, 6 Ross Moriarty, 5 Mariano Galarza, 4 Jeremy Thrush, 3 John Afoa, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Nick Wood.

Replacements: 16 Tom Lindsay, 17 Dan Murphy, 18 Paul Doran-Jones, 19 Tom Savage, 20 Jacob Rowan, 21 Willi Heinz, 22 Henry Trinder, 23 Rob Cook.

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys

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