Quins cruise past Warriors
Harlequins cruised to a 37-13 victory at Sixways, scoring four tries in the process and condemning Dean Ryan's Worcester Warriors to a third consecutive Premiership defeat of the season.
The damage was done either side of half-time – when Danny Care, Joe Marler, Rob Buchanan and Mike Brown all touched down to secure Quins' biggest league victory for a year.
* In the other match on Friday Danny Cipriani made a triumphant return to action for Sale Sharks to help inflict a third straight defeat on his former club London Wasps.
The seven-times capped England international came off the bench to score a try and kick a further 16 points as his side emerged 26-22 victors in a fine Premiership encounter.
We look at the Friday matches!
Worcester Warriors 13-37 Harlequins
Harlequins cruised to a 37-13 victory at Sixways scoring four tries in the process and condemning Dean Ryan's Worcester Warriors to a third consecutive Premiership defeat of the season.
The damage was done either side of half-time when Danny Care, Joe Marler, Rob Buchanan and Mike Brown all touched down to secure Quins' biggest league victory for a year.
Worcester made life hard for themselves with yellow cards for Jake Abbott, Ed Shervington and Josh Matavesi, the often 14-man defence unable to cope with Quins' offloading game.
Warriors won an early penalty when Ignacio Mieres stuck up the Garryowen and Joe Marler deliberately stuck out a leg to prevent him breaking through, giving the Argentine fly-half a shot at goal that he dispatched with ease.
A dinked chip in behind the Worcester defence from fly-half Nick Evans almost bounced kindly for Ugo Monye, but Warriors full-back Chris Pennell did well to tidy up under pressure.
Shortly after a break through the middle from Tom Williams saw the winger offload to Chris Robshaw but the support wasn't there and the Quins skipper was pinged for holding onto the ball in the tackle.
Despite their lead Worcester were struggling to get out of their own half and they turned the ball over deep in their own 22 when Quins second row George Robson dived on a loose ball and the Warriors were penalised for going offside. Evans made short work of the penalty from in front of the posts and the scores were level at 3-3 on 13 minutes.
Another lovely offload from No.8 Nick Easter found Nick Evans who was pulled down in full flight, with Quins moving the ball left to Maurie Fa'asavalu who was stopped two metres short of the line.
Worcester were again pinged for going offside and Evans sent the resulting penalty narrowly inside the left upright to put the visitors ahead for the first time.
Abbott saw yellow for not rolling away from the tackle as Worcester defended desperately, with Quins opting for a five-metre attacking scrum instead of a kick at the posts.
Worcester then won an attacking lineout in the Quins 22 and from the resulting maul Tom Guest was penalised for not rolling away and totally against the run of play, Mieres bisected the posts.
The score seemed to galvanise the Warriors and from their first attack of any note Josh Drauniniu was driven into touch on the right in a dangerous position.
But finally the Worcester defence was breached after a delightful hidden pass from Rob Buchanan to Robshaw, whose offload sent Care clear to sprint in under the posts on the half hour. Evans dispatched the extras with ease as Worcester prepared to welcome Abbott back from the bin.
Worcester were lucky not to lose another man to the sidelines straight away as they were again penalised on their own try line, with Quins this time going for an attacking lineout.
From the next attack however, Ed Shervington was shown yellow for tackling the man without the ball and Worcester were again a man light in defence and from the lineout Joe Marler spotted a gap and plunged over the line to the left of the posts.
Nick Evans kicked the conversion and Worcester found themselves staring at a 14-point deficit heading towards the interval.
It was one-way traffic again after the break, with Worcester having no answer to Harlequins' power at the breakdown and slick handling in the loose.
From an attacking position Harlequins moved the ball wide to the left where a lovely flick pass from full-back Mike Brown set up prop Rob Buchanan to touch down in the corner, Evans adding the conversion.
Josh Matavesi then got himself ten minutes on the sidelines for a shoulder challenge on Robshaw in the Worcester 22 and Quins immediately took advantage of the extra man, working the ball left to Brown who was adjudged to have got the ball down after a long break in play.
Evans piled on the misery for Warriors with the conversion as the home side stared down the barrel of a third consecutive Premiership defeat at the start of the season.
Harlequins lost replacement prop Mark Lambert to the bin after he was penalised for offside, and Jonathan Thomas then looked to have finally broken through the Harlequins defence only for incredible defence on the line from replacement scrum-half Karl Dixon to prevent him touching down.
But from the following scrum Quins were penalised and Wayne Barnes trotted under the posts to award Worcester a try that Mieres converted for a consolation score.
But despite their improved play in the final quarter of the game, there was no doubting the winner and Quins held on to secure the victory with Ben Botica rounding off the scoring with a late penalty.
The scorers:
For Worcester:
Try: Penalty try
Con: Mieres
Pens: Mieres 2
For Harlequins:
Tries: Care, Marler, Buchanan, Brown
Cons: Evans 4
Pens: Evans 2, Botica
Yellow cards: Jake Abbot (Worcester Warriors, 20), Ed Shervington (Worcester Warriors, 35), Josh Matavesi (Worcester Warriors, 48), Mark Lambert (Harlequins, 63)
Teams:
Worcester: 15 Chris Pennell, 14 Josh Drauniniu, 13 Ravai Fatiaki, 12 Josh Matavesi, 11 David Lemi, 10 Ignacio Mieres, 9 Paul Hodgson, 8 Jonathan Thomas (captain), 7 Jake Abbott, 6 Sam Betty, 5 Dean Schofield, 4 Mike Williams, 3 John Andress, 2 Ed Shervington, 1 Jeremy Becasseau.
Replacements: 16 Nick Seymour, 17 Paul Andrew, 18 Euan Murray, 19 Chris Jones, 20 Semisi Taulava, 21 Jeremy Su'a, 22 Danny Gray, 23 Jon Clarke.
Harlequins: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Tom Williams, 13 George Lowe, 12 Tom Casson, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Nick Evans, 9 Danny Care, 8 Tom Guest, 7 Chris Robshaw (captain), 6 Maurie Fa'asavalu, 5 George Robson, 4 Nick Easter, 3 Will Collier, 2 Rob Buchanan, 1 Joe Marler.
Replacements: 16 Dave Ward, 17 Mark Lambert, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 George Merrick, 20 Luke Wallace, 21 Karl Dickson, 22 Ben Botica, 23 Sam Smith.
Referee: Wayne Barnes
Assistant Referees: Robin Goodliffe & Paul Dix
TMO: Geoff Warren
Sale Sharks 26-22 London Wasps
Danny Cipriani made a triumphant return to action for Sale Sharks to help inflict a third straight defeat on his former club London Wasps.
The seven-times capped England international came off the bench to score a try and kick a further 16 points as his side emerged 26-22 victors in a fine Premiership encounter.
Mark Cueto also scored a try for the hosts at AJ Bell Stadium, but Wasps rallied after the break with Josh Bassett and Ashley Johnson on the score sheet, though ultimately it proved in vain.
Former Sale captain James Gaskell was forced out of the match before it had begun picking up an injury in the warm up. Josh Beaumont, son of former England and Lions player Bill Beaumont, replaced him at No. 8 with Will Cliff also a late replacement for Welsh scrum half Dwayne Peel.
Sale had the best of the early play but Wasps threatened out wide and through flanker Sam Jones down the middle.
Injuries brought Cipriani and Mark Easter into the action for Sale as Nick Macleod and Beaumont left the field -a cruel end to the youngster's first Premiership start which had lasted just 20 minutes.
Cipriani was straight into the action slotting a penalty after Wasps had pulled down the Sale lineout, but Wasps replied two minutes later with Andy Goode levelling the score.
Replacement Wasps full back Tommy Bell dropped an up and under and Sale spread the ball quickly to the wings with Andy Forsyth going close. Sustained pressure in the corner was rewarded with Cueto's try after several penalties saw the Sharks opt to kick to the corner. Veteran winger Cueto picked a nice angle off Cipriani to score near the posts, leaving a simple conversion for the fly-half.
Another Cipriani penalty from straight in front put Sale comfortably in the lead going into the break at 13-3.
A long spell of Sale possession at the start of the second half saw them stretch the visitors from side to side with Cueto revelling in his role at outside centre.
Sale were camped on the Wasps' try line and it was Cipriani that scrambled over to score before converting from out wide.
Wasps did not lie down though and kicked to the corner from a scrum when Sale were penalised. A powerful driving maul from the forwards allowed burly South African back row Johnson an easy score, with Goode converting.
A third Cipriani penalty eased the pressure but poor discipline began to cost the home side as Wasps were allowed to move into the Sale 22.
Another maul from Wasps caused Sale trouble and Andrew Small awarded a penalty try, with Goode converting.
Wasps gained valuable territory when Cipriani kicked the ball out on the full having been adjudged to have touched it before it went into the 22. Quick hands from the visitors found numbers waiting out wide and Bassett went over.
Crucially, Goode was wide with the conversion leaving Sale a point ahead with eight minutes remaining.
And captain Dan Braid won a last-gasp penalty to secure the victory with Cipriani converting to take his points tally to 21 for the night.
The scorers:
For Sale Sharks:
Tries: Cueto, Cipriani
Cons: Cipriani 2
Pens: Cipriani 4
For London Wasps:
Tries: Johnson, Penalty try, Bassett
Cons: Goode 2
Pen: Goode
Teams:
Sale Sharks: 15 Tom Arscott, 14 Rob Miller, 13 Mark Cueto, 12 Andy Forsyth, 11 Tom Brady, 10 Nick Macleod, 9 Dwayne Peel, 8 James Gaskell, 7 David Seymour, 6 Dan Braid (captain), 5 Michael Paterson, 4 Kirill Kulemin, 3 Henry Thomas, 2 Tommy Taylor, 1 Ross Harrison.
Replacements: 16 Marc Jones, 17 Eifion Lewis Roberts, 18 Vadim Cobilas, 19 Johnathan Mills, 20 Josh Beaumont, 21 Will Cliff, 22 Danny Cipriani, 23 Phil Mackenzie.
London Wasps: 15 Andrea Masi, 14 Christian Wade, 13 Ben Jacobs, 12 Chris Bell (captain), 11 Josh Bassett, 10 Andy Goode, 9 Charlie Davies, 8 Ed Jackson, 7 Sam Jones, 6 Ashley Johnson, 5 Kearnan Myall, 4 Joe Launchbury, 3 Jake Cooper-Wooley, 2 Carlo Festuccia, 1 Matt Mullan.
Replacements: 16 Tom Lindsay, 17 Simon McIntyre, 18 Will Taylor, 19 James Cannon, 20 Nathan Hughes, 21 Joe Simpson, 22 Joe Carlisle, 23 Tommy Bell.
Referee: Andrew Small
Assistant Referees: Kevin Stewart & Gareth Copsey
TMO: Trevor Fisher
