WARRIORS.

5 Pennell – missed a very difficult kick from the halfway line but was outshone by his opposite number Furbank as he failed to make an impression in attack.

5 Humphreys – hardly figured as he did not see much of the ball and had little hope in stopping powerhouse Naiyaravoro from scoring from close range.

6 Beck – made a solid contribution in defence and carried well in attack only for his impact to wane as the match wore on and Saints gained the ascendancy.

5 Mills – stepping in as captain, the centre kept plugging away but was unable to really stamp his authority on the game as Warriors struggled to break down the hosts.

4 Nanai – a bad day at the office for the wing who made a number of defensive errors with three of Saints’ tries coming down his channel.

7 Weir – managed the game brilliantly in the opening 40 minutes and landed three of his five kicks at goal in terrible conditions.

7 Hougaard – kicked well out of hand to help keep Saints pinned inside their own half and proved a huge miss when he went off injured on 46 minutes.

5 Waller – a forgettable return to his former club as he put his team under pressure when he was sin-binned for a deliberate knock on in the first half.

6 Annett – made some good carries and turned out to be the pantomime villain as he was in the middle of several scuffles before being jeered off by the home fans.

4 Carey – was penalised on far too many occasions as he found life difficult in the scrum at times and statistically missed his one and only attempted tackle.

6 Bresler – another robust defensive display as he sent one Saints player flying backwards with a thumping hit and claimed a lineout steal.

5 Fatialofa – coming into the side in place of Kitchener the New Zealand lock tackled well but conceded a couple of penalties.

6 Hill – got his hands on the ball on a number of times, especially in the first half, as he made many hard yards but also conceded turnovers.

7 LEWIS – showed no signs of the rib injury that had been troubling him as he put his body on the line throughout and assisted for Venter’s late try. My man of the match.

7 Du Preez – was one of Warriors’ best players in the opening period, with his tackle count into double figures by half-time and was powerful in possesion.

Replacements: Kitto 5 (Hougaard 45), Taufete’e 5 (Annett 52), Kitchener 5 (Fatialofa 52), van Velze 5 (du Preez 52), Lance 4 (Weir 54), Venter 6 (Beck 54), Palframan 6 (Carey 57), Black 5 (Lewis 32-40, Waller 62).

Referee: J Makepeace.

Attendance: TBC.

Saints: Furbank; Collins, Dingwall, Hutchinson (Hutchinson 70), Naiyaravoro (Sleightholme 70); Grayson, Taylor (Tupai 70); Waller (Franks 54), Fish (Haywood 25), Painter (Garside 70), Coles (Bean 70), Moon, Wood, Tonks (Gibson 54), Harrison.

RUN OF PLAY.

0-3: Weir penalty, 5mins.

0-6: Weir penalty, 11mins.

3-6: Grayson penalty, 23mins.

3-9: Weir penalty, 26mins.

YELLOW: Waller (Warriors), 29mins.

6-9: Grayson penalty, 30mins.

Half-time: Northampton Saints 6-9 Worcester Warriors.

11-9: Collins try, 46mins.

13-9: Grayson conv, 47mins.

18-9: Naiyaravoro try, 54mins.

20-9: Grayson conv, 55mins.

25-9: Furbank try, 69mins.

30-9: Sleightholme try, 71mins.

35-9: Furbank try, 76mins.

35-14: Venter try, 78mins.

36-16: Lance conv, 79mins.

Full-time: Northampton Saints 35-16 Worcester Warriors.