Howe double gets rusty Warriors on the front foot

WORCESTER head coach Carl Hogg was delighted with his side’s bonus point win over Oyonnax.

A brace of tries from Tom Howe and a try apiece from replacement scrumhalf Luke Baldwin and Scotland No.8 David Denton, along with 13 points from the boot of Sam Olver were enough to see off the visitors.

The French strugglers managed only a single try courtesy of Hika Elliott, while fly-half Christopher Ruiz scored nine points from the kicking tee.

“I thought it was a very hard-fought victory,” said Hogg.

“It was a slow start and we looked a bit ring rusty but the way we fought back and stuck to the plan was outstanding. Oyonnax turned up to play today but we were patient and we built a good score.

“I think we are in a very strong position in the group but it’s still very much in the balance.”

Victory keeps Worcester within touching distance of pool leaders Connacht while Oyonnax remain pointless.

The visitors drew first blood when former All Blacks hooker Elliott crossed the whitewash following a loose throw from the Warriors lineout.

The hosts came to life in the second quarter and were able to apply pressure on the Oyonnax line, with Denton having a try chalked off for double movement.

But Worcester finally crossed just before half time when Howe went over in the far-left hand corner following a period of sustained pressure, meaning the home side led 13-11 at the break.

The Warriors began to gain the upper hand in the second half with Denton, in particular impressing, with a number of powerful carries.

The game began to slip away from the visitors when Howe scored his second with a strong finish in the corner. The right winger started the attack when he brushed off three defenders as he charged down the touchline with the ball going through a few phases for Howe to score.

The Warriors sealed the win when Baldwin powered his way over from short range following a powerful scrum from the home eight before Denton grabbed the bonus point try with a strong carry a few minutes later.

“I thought we were the better side in the first half but I think the intensity got to a few of the younger guys,” said Oyonnax hooker Hika Elliott.

“If we had stuck to our processes we could have been there or thereabouts.”