WORCESTER expected more from their Women’s Premier League rugby game against Bristol following the encouraging performance at Saracen the previous week, but once again last minute team changes saw the home side fielding players out of position in a 36-22 home defeat.

Worcester battled gamely throughout but were on the back-foot for the majority of the game and had no real answer to the penetrative pace of Bristol’s Waterman, Mason and Gregson, who eased past the home side’s back three far too often.

The visitors opened the scoring in the eighth minute when a missed tackle allowed Gregson to score, Brown adding the extras.

Worcester’s Naomi Henri was injured in attempt to stop a Bristol score, a double blow for the home side.

On ten minutes Worcester entered the visitors ‘22’ for the first time and powerful work by the forwards was rewarded with a try from Laura Keates. However, the home side then spent the majority of the remaining time in the half defending an onslaught from Bristol attacks which saw Wilson-Hardy, with two tries and a second from Gregson adding to the home side’s problems.

On the stroke of half-time, Worcester found themselves once more in the opposition ‘22’ and a dominant driving maul was finished by Keates with Ceri Large adding the extras.

The second-half followed a similar pattern, with Gregson completing her hat-trick of tries.

The hard-working Rochelle Clark repeated the now familiar pattern of a forward try on Worcester’s third visit to the Bristol ‘22’ and at 31-17 the home side had some expectation of a comeback.

However, a basic error gifted Rachel Taylor Bristol’s sixth try to put the game out reach for Worcester, but they did finish with yet another forward try from Rhiannon Watkins.

Worcester make the long journey to Darlington’s DMP Sharks on Sunday.