Monday, January 3, 2000

WORCESTER Rugby Club were taught a lesson in grinding out a result by London Irish who secured a 12-8 Tetley Bitter Cup round four win without ever quickening the pulses.

The Exiles were robbed of play-maker Stephen Bachop with a calf injury, but played to the testing Sixways conditions and never looked in danger of losing.

Jarrod Cunningham switched to stand-off and answered the call with four penalties from five attempts, striking the post with a fifth.

Worcester replied with a penalty from Tony Yapp plus a late try from Richard Denhardt, but undermined their challenge by making the bulk of the handling errors.

Yet with a little more vision and a touch more luck they could have claimed another Premiership One scalp.

Three scintillating moves in as many first-half minutes, all involving Nick Baxter, could have swung the game completely.

First Baxter made a half break into the Irish half only to miss a pass to Sateki Tuipulotu which would have sent him clear.

Seconds later Jim Jenner made a similar pass to Baxter which was ruled to be forward and then Tuipulotu sent Baxter on a charge from deep only to be brought down inside the visitor's '22'.

By then the Exiles had already chiselled out a 9-0 lead with three of Cunningham's four penalties.

Department

Worcester had matched the Exiles in every department and had driven their pack back at the maul but conceded ground through losing possession -- a regular habit in recent weeks.

Cunningham's penalties subdued the large Bank Holiday crowd but they were given hope when Tony Yapp landed a penalty on the stroke of half-time after Tuipulotu had narrowly missed a similar effort.

Yapp was soon replaced by debutant David Pears who added a degree of invention but squandered a good attacking position with a drop-goal which scuttled along the ground.

At the other end Cunningham's fourth penalty almost sealed the game for London Irish but it struck a post and came down just a yard from the line and Chris Raymond tidied up.

Minutes later Cunningham made no mistake to leave Worcester needing two scores inside the final 20 minutes. They poured forward but could not find the killer touch until injury time.

With ten minutes left they were held up a yard from the line following a line-out. When the Exiles spilled possession kicking from behind their own line, Ben Harvey fumbled the greasy ball with the line at his mercy.

Worcester certainly deserved a score and it came when lock Richard Denhardt muscled over after a series of five metre scrums -- but it came too late to alter the result.

Worcester: Tuipulotu, Myler (Walker 35), Higgins, Connolly, Baxter, Yapp (Pears 21-29 and 47), Martens (Harvey 62), Windo, Richards, Lyman, Raymond, Sims (Denhardt 70), Cockle Devereux 58), Carter, Jenner. Replacements (not used): Yates, Ball.

Attendance: 3,992.