Tigers hold off Worcester to move five points clear

Worcester 6 Leicester 13

Worcester's fight for Guinness Premiership survival suffered another huge

setback as leaders Leicester ground out an unspectacular victory at Sixways.

Warriors slumped to their seventh home league defeat from eight starts this

season - form which suggests they could find themselves back in National League

One next term following a three-year spell among the English rugby elite.

Read more:

• Cueto backing himself for Ashton's call

• Tagicakibau and Ojo ease the pressure on Exiles

• Harlequins pile the pressure on sorry Saints

• Woodward wades into club v country row

• Newcastle rest Jonny but Sale get tough
• Give them a rest: England players' plea as Ashton names side
• Why we're resting Wilkinson
• Worsley and Morgan back for England
• Wilkinson & Co caught in club v country dilemma

Leicester rested three of their forwards on RBS 6 Nations duty for England

against Ireland next Saturday - hooker George Chuter, lock Louis Deacon and

number eight Martin Corry - but Worcester could not take advantage.

Without a home league success since April 29, they again lacked the necessary

cutting edge to slice open a defence as well-organised and physical as

Leicester's, and a losing bonus point provided scant consolation.

Worcester's consistent failure to score tries has undermined their domestic

campaign, and it will take a Herculean effort to avoid relegation now,

especially with away games against title play-off contenders Gloucester, Sale

Sharks and Bristol remaining on the fixture list.

Leicester, though, opened up a five-point gap at the Premiership summit over

Bristol, who host struggling Newcastle tomorrow, despite never threatening to

hit top gear.

Corry and his England colleagues wisely stayed at home, missing an

error-strewn encounter which only occasionally flickered into life.

Leicester wing Seru Rabeni scored the solitary try, while fly-half Ian

Humphreys slotted a conversion and two penalties to take Tigers past the

half-century Premiership points mark.

They closed the game out despite late Worcester pressure, expertly guided home

by England scrum-half Harry Ellis, who appeared as a 71st-minute substitute.

Both Ellis and England replacement prop Julian White, a starter in Leicester's

front row, emerged unscathed from a typically attritional Premiership contest,

which will be music to the ears of England head coach Brian Ashton.

Worcester lock Craig Gillies made his 100th Premiership appearance and Ryan

Powell replaced suspended scrum-half Matt Powell, but both sides struggled for

continuity after a three-week break from Premiership action, and Leicester

relied on a route-one approach to blow open Worcester's defence.

Wing Alesana Tuilagi, whose power terrorised Worcester when he received the

ball in space, smashed his way past Warriors hooker Chris Fortey and

quickly-recycled possession saw Rabeni cross unopposed.

Humphreys added the conversion and kicked a penalty during first-half

injury-time, but the interim period saw Worcester shade the territorial battle.

Rival scrum-halves Powell and Frank Murphy were sin-binned by referee David

Rose following an off-the-ball skirmish, and Leicester soon found themselves

reduced to 13 men after Drahm's opening penalty strike.

Tigers number eight Brett Deacon received a yellow card for an offence at a

ruck, yet Worcester could only manage another Drahm penalty as they failed to

breach Leicester's defence.

Humphreys' angled three-pointer gave Leicester a 10-6 interval advantage, and

Worcester boss John Brain made a substitution within two minutes of the restart,

sending on Wales prop Chris Horsman for Tevita Taumoepeau.

Horsman, though, immediately conceded a penalty, and Humphreys gratefully

accepted the chance, leaving Worcester a converted try adrift for most of the

second period.

Humphreys missed two kicks at goal before Ellis arrived to orchestrate a solid

Leicester finale when the Tigers forwards camped deep inside Worcester's 22.

Warriors skipper Pat Sanderson, a tireless presence throughout, tried to rally

his team for one last stamina-sapping effort, but Leicester had enough knowhow

and composure to keep Worcester where they had been for most of the match - away

from Tigers' line.