WORCESTER Wanderers held their nerve to seal a hard-fought 10-6 win in a crucial match at old rivals Hereford in Midlands One West.
Chris Griffiths scored the only try of the game for Wanderers in an attritional derby, which saw Hereford’s Nathan Boden red-carded and a player sin-binned from either side.
It was Worcester’s 10th league win of the season and they are now eighth in the table with 46 points from 21 matches.
Wanderers host third-from-bottom Whitchurch in another important match on Saturday.
A 12th minute penalty from Tom Ewins fired Hereford ahead on a heavy surface at the Wyeside ground.
But Wanderers responded swiftly and Griffiths crashed over for a try, which Tom Biggs converted to put the visitors 7-3 ahead.
Biggs slotted a 29th-minute penalty to increase Wanderers’ advantage and it remained 10-3 at the interval.
Worcester maintained their seven-point cushion until the 61st minute when Dean Powell cut the deficit with a penalty for the hosts.
The defeat has left Hereford peering at the relegation trapdoor as they slipped to fourth from bottom.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here