Worcester Warriors 25 Gloucester 15

WORCESTER Warriors have got a spring in their step as they took another giant leap towards Aviva Premiership survival.

After the highs of stunning champions Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park last weekend Warriors could have easily allowed themselves to crash back to earth with a bump.

But Worcester’s fans were jumping for joy again as their side saw off Gloucester at a sold-out Sixways to move 16 points clear of the relegation zone.

And with bottom club London Irish to come at the Madejski Stadium next Sunday Worcester will be confident of all but sealing their top-flight status for another season.

It does not feel that long ago since Irish seemingly had all the momentum after four successive victories in the cup competitions.

But in the last two weeks Warriors appear to have turned a corner and don’t look like turning back.

Worcester’s defence has often been viewed as a weakness – and rightly so given the amount of tries they have conceded.

But after fronting up in a low-scoring encounter at Exeter they showed equal resilience in the closing moments against Gloucester.

With victory almost secured thanks to first-half tries from Jonny Arr, Jamie Shillcock and Josh Adams, Warriors came under increasing pressure.

But the home side refused to give the Cherry and Whites even a losing bonus point as they fought hard until the death.

The victory capped off a special day for scrum-half Arr who celebrated his 10-year playing career at his boyhood club in style.

The 29-year-old’s return to action for Warriors coincided with his testimonial day and it could not have got off to a better start.

With just four minutes on the clock, Arr caught Gloucester’s defence napping when he picked the ball up from the base of a ruck and squeezed through to score.

The try, converted by Chris Pennell, also kick-started a thrilling opening quarter.

Billy Twelvetrees cut the deficit with a penalty before a sweeping move resulted in a superb second try for Warriors.

A long pass from Jackson Willison opened up the chance for Bryce Heem and Pennell to attack down the right. Pennell then fed Arr who flicked the ball inside for Shillcock to crash over.

Pennell’s conversion gave Warriors a 14-3 lead but a lapse in concentration allowed Gloucester back into the game.

Heem failed to gather a pass, Gerrit-Jan van Velze then missed the ball completely and Matt Scott pounced to score under the posts.

Billy Burns took a quick conversion to get within four points of Worcester, but the Cherry and Whites then suffered a double blow.

Firstly, Henry Trinder was sin-binned for not rolling away close to the try-line before Warriors crossed the whitewash for the third time.

After securing the ball at the scrum, Ryan Mills’ stunning long-range pass found Adams who touched down for his 14th try of the season.

Pennell missed the conversion but made amends with a coolly-struck penalty just before the interval.

Warriors were now leading 22-10 but Gloucester responded with an unconverted try nine minutes into the second period when Trinder crossed in the corner.

Flanker Sam Lewis was forced off in the first half following a blow to his head, but his replacement Alafoti Fa’osiliva stepped up to the plate with a powerful display.

Anton Bresler and Matt Cox also made an impact off the bench as Warriors thwarted Gloucester’s attacks.

Pennell then landed a three-pointer from distance with 14 minutes to go as Worcester closed out another important victory.