Bristol, a side with a habit of tripping up at the final hurdle when it comes to the chase for promotion to the Aviva Premiership, go into the second leg of the play-offs a point behind Worcester, but without two of their former Welsh internationals, Gavin Henson and Ryan Jones.
Jones has a damaged shoulder and Henson fractured his shin on Wednesday night just when the tie appeared to be swinging Bristol’s way. After his side were distinctly second best in the first half, David Lemi, probably the smallest man on the field, rose above the Worcester defence eight minutes from time to claim Nicky Robinson’s cross-kick and put the home side into the lead for the first time in 62 minutes.
Unfortunately for Bristol, Worcester who had not scored a point in the second half after turning around five points clear, raised themselves one last time to heave the replacement hooker, Niall Annett, over just as the clock turned red. With Ryan Lamb finally managing to land a conversion Worcester had the edge as Wayne Barnes blew the final whistle and had beaten Bristol for the first time this season.
“To finish like that was a show of defiance,” said their director of rugby, Dean Ryan, after denying jitters as Worcester’s first-half lead crumbled. “This club’s outstanding. They are a good group. They don’t surprise me. To win like that will give us a psychological boost, them having won the first two.”
Those regular season games between sides always favourites to go head-to-head for promotion each ended in Bristol wins by four points, Andy Robinson’s side coming from behind on both occasions. On the opening day of the regular season it was a late try;. on the closing day Worcester were leading until a couple of yellow cards helped turn things around. Last night it was action from the off.
Henson was on the board within two minutes and Worcester’s lack of discipline at ruck, scrum and lineout would have cost them more dearly had the former Wales kicker been more accurate. Instead, the visitors got their act together. Lamb went for the corner rather than the points. Mike Williams, soon off to Leicester, made the catch and the pack pushed Sam Betty over.
The Bristol reply was instant. Matthew Morgan made 50 metres before running into Chris Pennell, still smarting at not making England’s 50 for the World Cup. Henson linked and Mitch Eadie spotted the gap to make it 10-5 to Bristol. Add a yellow for the Bristol prop Gaston Cortes kicking the ball out of a ruck under his own posts and the penalty try, awarded as Worcester took charge of the resultant scrum, and 22 points had been scored in the first quarter. Things were warming up.
Bristol went down to 13 men, Anthony Perenise shown yellow only six minutes after replacing Cortes, and seven points behind when the lock Jonathan Thomas did a passable impression of a centre to put Cooper Vuna in the corner. Again the response was rapid, Eadie and Chris Brooker sending Lemi over, but the final flourish of the half went to Tom Biggs, popping up on Lamb’s shoulder the next time Worcester got into Bristol territory.
But for Lamb missing three conversions and a penalty Worcester would have been 14 points ahead rather than five at the interval and 17 when Pennell missed an ambitious penalty two minutes into the second half. When Henson immediately cut the lead to two points with his second penalty Bristol were on the up, especially when Lemi outjumped everyone.
Bristol Wallace; Amesbury, Maule, Henson (Tovey, 70), Lemi; Morgan (Robinson, 56), Peel (capt; Kessel 72); Traynor, Brooker (Crumpton, 70), Cortes ( Perenise, 70), Townson (Glynn, 50), Sorenson, Jones (Mana, 50), Lam, Eadie.
Tries Eadie, Lemi 2. Cons Henson 2. Pens Henson 2, Robinson.
Sin-bin Cortes, Perenise.
Worcester Pennell; Biggs, Grove, Mills, Vuna (Howard, 75); Lamb, Bruzulier; Ruskin (Bower, 62), Creevy (Annett, 76), Schonert (Rees, 71), Thomas, Percival (Senatore, 64), Williams, Betty, Van Velze (capt).
Tries Betty, penalty, Vuna, Biggs, Annett. Con Lamb.
Referee W Barnes (RFU). Attendance 12,010.
