Final score - Worcester Warriors 6-26 Northampton Saints (From Worcester News)

Final score - Worcester Warriors 6-26 Northampton Saints

3:50pm Saturday 26th December 2009 in

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FULL-TIME... WARRIORS paid the price for failing to take their chances as Northampton Saints pulled away from them in the second-half. Worcester regularly threatened the Saints' try-line, but lacked the cutting edge required. Mike Ruddock's men then capitulated in the last quarter as the visitors ran in three scores to kill the game off. See Monday's Worcester News for a full match report, reaction and pictures.

80mins: Try, Saints (Dowson).

75mins: Try, Saints (Foden).

62mins: Try, Saints (Ashton), conversion - Myler.

HALF-TIME... Worcester trailed by three penalties from Stephen Myler to two by Willie Walker. The hosts, who had Craig Gillies sin-binned, were under heavy pressure for the first quarter of the game, but came back into it and could well have scored two tries.

40mins: Penalty, Worcester (Walker).

29mins: Penalty, Worcester (Walker).

23mins: Yellow card, Worcester (Gillies); Penalty, Saints (Myler).

14mins: Penalty, Saints (Myler).

4mins: Penalty, Saints (Myler).

STAR centre Sam Tuitupou returns to the Worcester Warriors line-up as they prepare for today's sell out Guinness Premiership clash with Northampton Saints at Sixways (4.15pm).

Tuitupou returns after recovering from illness and will team up with Scotland international Alex Grove as boss Mike Ruddock recalls his big guns for league action.

Prop Adam Black is the only survivor in the pack from the team that travelled to Connacht Rugby in the Amlin Challenge Cup last week.

Australian ace Chris Latham is recalled at full-back and Jonny Arr and Willie Walker will combine at half-back.

England hopeful Matt Mullan returns to the replacements bench for the first time since injuring his hamstring against Montpellier at the start of October.

Scrum-half Ryan Powell is also part of the match day squad and centre Dale Rasmussen will make his 100th Guinness Premiership appearance should he climb off the bench in the festive fixture.

TEAM NEWS...

Worcester Warriors: Latham; Gear, Grove, Tuitupou, Benjamin; Walker, Arr; Black, Lutui, Taumoepeau, Rawlinson, Gillies, Wood, Sanderson, Horstmann. Replacements: Mullan, Fortey, Sourgens, Kitchener, Collins, Powell, Jones, Rasmussen.

Northampton Saints: Foden; Ashton, Clarke, Downey, Diggin; Myler, Dickson; Tonga'uiha, Hartley, Murray, Fernandez Lobbe, Kruger, Lawes, Dowson, Wilson. Replacements: Sharman, Vickers, Waller, Day, Best, Dickens, Geraghty, Mayor.