10:28pm Friday 26th February 2010
By Tom Guest
EXACTLY five months to the day since their last Guinness Premiership victory, Worcester Warriors returned to winning ways with a 13-0 triumph over Newcastle Falcons at Sixways tonight.
Replacement lock Will Bowley, who only came into the 23 at the last minute when Greg Rawlinson withdrew through illness, was the unlikely hero after running in a 73rd-minute try.
Fly-half Willie Walker converted the game’s only score as well as slotting two penalties as Mike Ruddock’s side climbed above Sale Sharks, who play resurgent Gloucester today, in the table.
Newcastle captain Carl Hayman and his powerful front-row colleagues were shoved off their own ball and, as it shot out of the back, a defender was forced to carry it over and touch down early on.
From the five-metre scrum, Chris Latham and Pat Sanderson were prominent in a series of drives before Warriors were awarded a penalty, which Walker kicked successfully.
Falcons loosehead Jon Golding then forced a penalty against Tevita Taumoepeau and visiting fly-half Jimmy Gopperth went for the corner.
A host of phases and two five-metre scrums were denied by lion-hearted Warriors defending before a knock-on allowed Chris Pennell to boot clear.
A bad Gopperth knock-on in the shadow of his own posts when under no pressure gave Worcester a scrum, from which referee Chris White awarded a penalty and Walker made no mistake.
A long-range Pennell penalty fell short but, as Falcons looked to counter-attack, full-back Alex Tait was isolated and penalised for holding on.
Latham kicked near the corner flag and Sanderson went close from the line-out but Warriors were held up over the line and Falcons were let off.
After the break, Tait knocked-on trying to gather Walker’s through-kick but Worcester played through their advantage and Sammy Tuitupou was turned over for holding on in the tackle.
Miles Benjamin charged down Tait’s clearance and Worcester stole possession after the line-out before Newcastle survived another blocked kick as a knock-on from the below-par Latham relieved the pressure on the visitors.
In a bid to bludgeon their way back into the game, the away side laid siege to the Worcester line but the hosts defended superbly around the fringes.
With 18 minutes left, the Falcons should have opened their account with a Gopperth penalty but the Kiwi missed the simple chance.
Then second row Bowley pounced on a loose ball to canter in from the 22 to settle Worcester nerves with a try, improved by Walker, and also deny Falcons a bonus point.
Warriors: Latham 5; Pennell 7, Rasmussen 7 (Gear 74), Tuitupou 8, Benjamin 7; Walker 6 (Jones 74), Arr 5 (Powell 74); A Black 9 (Mullan 65, 7), Lutui 7 (Fortey 62, 7), Taumoepeau 8 (Sourgens 72), Kitchener 7 (Bowley 65, 7), Gillies 9, Cracknell 5 (Wood 43, 7), Sanderson 8, Horstmann 7.
Attendance: 10,255.
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