Worcester Warriors 51pts, Newcastle Falcons 10
6:09pm Sunday 11th May 2008
WORCESTER Warriors won the race for 10th place in the Guinness Premiership with an eight-try 51-10 demolition of flagging Newcastle Falcons at a sun-drenched Sixways.
Having led 20-10 at the interval, Mike Ruddock's men ran in 31 unanswered points in the second period as the visitors, who were playing their third game in the space of six days, visibly wilted under the heat of the Warriors rapier-like attacking play.
As the bumper 10,197 capacity Sixways crowd hoped to send off departing heroes Thinus Delport, Shane Drahm and Drew Hickey - as well as retiring prop Tony Windo - on a high note, the home side didn't disappoint.
Popular South African full-back Delport capped his final home game for the Warriors with a try and he was joined on the scoresheet by in-form wingers Miles Benjamin (two) and Marcel Garvey as well as skipper Pat Sanderson, prop Chris Horsman, hooker Aleki Lutui and Kiwi Rico Gear.
Drahm, who like Delport and Hickey is off to the Land of the Rising Sun at the end of the season, added a penalty and three conversions, while his 64th-minute replacement, Joey Carlisle, also slotted a two-pointer.
Right from the off, Warriors played brim-full of confidence and looked like they meant business, turning down two kickable early penalties in search of tries. All Black lock Greg Rawlinson set the tone for Warriors' dominance by stealing Rob Vickers' throw-in to set the home side on the attack.
Delport twice surged powerfully forward before Horsman, who was making his first start since suffering a bicep injury in October, popped up out wide to drive for the line.
Newcastle were guilty of hands in the ruck, though, and Drahm kicked the penalty to the corner. However, Lutui's throw was wayward and the visitors were able to clear the danger. The Falcons infringed again, allowing Drahm to go to the corner once more.
This time there was no mistake and Craig Gillies claimed the ball to set up the rolling maul which saw Sanderson dive over for the opening try.
After Delport had fielded a long kick into his 22, he found Drahm, but the Aussie's touch-finder was sliced and made little ground. Vickers' crooked throw relieved the pressure, though, giving Warriors a scrum put-in.
Fly-half Drahm then sparked the Sixways crowd to its feet with a moment of magic. The dimimutive number 10 took a quick tap-and-go after a Falcons off-side and danced past several defenders down the right flank when there seemed to be nowhere to go. The move stalled when the visitors stole possession back at the ensuing ruck.
Delport gathered Northampton-bound scrum-half Lee Dickson's hack clear and fed wing Marcel Garvey whose electric pace took him into Newcastle territory before off-loading to Netani Talei who in turn found Dale Rasmussen. Play switched back across field where the away side were guilty of coming in at the side, allowing Drahm to kick for the corner.
The well-worked line-out saw Lutui go short to Rawlinson who returned the favour for the hooker to charge down the short side and score in the corner. Drahm was narrowly off target with his conversion.
The visitors finally showed signs of wanting to fight for the 10th spot in the Premiership which was on off for the winner when they scored in the 25th minute. Impressive right wing Ollie Phillips picked up the ball and found space in a crowded midfield to dart through the Warriors defence and touch down by the posts. Fly-half Steve Jones added the extras.
However, shortly after the restart, Newcastle hooker Vickers was sent to the bin for pulling a player back off the ball and Drahm punished him with three points.
Lutui burst through a line-out to rob possession after Newcastle had tapped the ball down to no-one, but Matt Powell's quick pass hit Horsman in the chest and went forwards.
Gear was penalised for not releasing, but Jones criminally failed to find touch, which allowed Drahm to return the ball. It was worked via Sanderson to Garvey who sprinted down the wing before being wrapped up.
From the scrum, the ball was quickly fired down the back line to England Saxons prospect Benjamin who threatened the visitors' line before putting a foot in touch. Newcastle won the line-out, but a massive hit by Fijian flanker Talei on Ross Beattie forced the Falcons' skipper to lose the ball and veteran Windo passed to fellow prop Horsman who galloped over in the corner. Drahm couldn't find the target from out wide.
Just before the break, the Falcons reduced the arrears to 10 points when Jones split the posts after Worcester had deliberately slowed play down at the break-down.
Worcester's bonus point try didn't take long in coming as, two minutes after the break, Drahm floated a classy pass out to Delport, who gleefully slid over in front of the jubilant north stand fans.
The fly-half missed the conversion, but was soon at the heart of the action, deftly chipping the ball into the path of Benjamin, who excellently picked the ball up one-handed before diving over in the corner. Two minutes later, the pacy winger grabbed his second score and Worcester's sixth, with Drahm adding the extras.
Not to be outdone, All Black ace Gear sprinted through the non-existant Newcastle defence to touch down Worcester's seventh try of the afternoon, before Drahm completed the conversion.
Try number eight followed in the 65th minute when Garvey broke from deep before kicking inside where replacement Chris Pennell collected and then returned the ball to the former Gloucester wing who crossed by the posts. Drahm's replacement Joey Carlisle slotted the simple kick.
Hapless Newcastle were even wasting chances, with Jones' penalty kick for the corner going dead. The pacy Phillips was then put through one-on-one with Pennell, who brilliantly denied the Newcastle wing, forcing him to hold on too long and concede a penalty. Pennell then thought he'd scored, only for play to be brought back for a forward pass.
As the clock ticked down, the Warriors pack bullied the ball back off their opponents and scrum-half Jonny Arr looked to kick into space for Garvey to run onto, but the ball ran dead and shortly after referee Dean Richards whistled to bring down the curtain on Worcester's Guinness Premiership season.