Aviva Premiership

Worcester Warriors 41 Bristol 24

BRISTOL are looking through the Aviva Premiership relegation trap door after a must-win defeat at Worcester Warriors left them seven points away from safety with only five games left.

It was a tremendous match but Bristol were sent packing during a first-half blitz by Worcester which put them 31-10 up with a try bonus point by the break.

The first-half was almost entirely a disaster zone for Bristol and the destruction started as early as one minute when the visitors were hit with a hammer blow.

Worcester grabbed the initiative, forcing Bristol to scramble their defence on their line and give away a penalty try when lock Dan Tuohy prevented Donnacha O'Callaghan from scoring.

Tuohy was sin-binned and, after Worcester fly-half Ryan Mills converted and added a forty metre penalty on six minutes, the home side dominated and Bristol's 14-men struggled to get any possession.

Bristol steadied the ship and. after home wing Bryce Heem was sin-binned for a dangerous tackle on prop Ryan Bevington, the West Country side began to get into gear.

Gavin Henson landed a penalty from 26 metres but the wonderful game swung back Worcester's way when scrum-half Francois Hougaard scored an opportunist try when taking the ball from a line-out and dashing 25 metres to the posts, Mills again converting.

Bristol cut the gap to seven points as full-back Jason Woodward found a gap in the Worcester defence deep inside their 22 and hurtled to the posts.

But Worcester gained the initative once again towards half-time. They had Bristol's line--out in all sorts of trouble and they just waltzed through a poor visiting defence.

Two tries inside five minutes saw Worcester go into the break with the game virtually won already.

Lock Will Spencer took a line-out ball and was driving over from ten metres, before a break from Hougaard on the right through a wide-open Bristol half-back sector saw him feed Heem get the bonus point try and send his side in 31-10 in front.

It gave Bristol a mountain to climb in the second forty minutes,and they were on the back foot again after the break.

Worcester caused them all sorts of problems and only some decent defence kept them out.

And when Bristol put some sustained pressure inside the Worcester 22, they found the home defence to be rock solid.

The final nail in Bristol's coffin was struck on 64 mins when Worcester wing Josh Adams fed Heem for his second score.

And with Bristol facing the top three - Wasps, Saracens and Exeter - after facing Gloucester in three weeks time, there is not much chance of them getting any change from those.

Henson and number eight Jordan Crane went off and, suddenly, Bristol found a gear as Worcester eased off.

They got a second try to bring themselves to 19 points behind Worcester when hooker Max Crumpton barged his way over for Woodward to convert.

And, when wing Tom Varndell intercepted a pass near the Bristol 22 to race under the Worcester posts, a try bonus point was possible.

As Bristol pressed for the fourth try, a loose ball on half-way saw a fly-hack downfield saw centre Wynand Olivier pick up and score.

And that looks like relegation for Bristol now this season.