Hill pleased as his Warriors step it up

Head Coach Richard Hill praised the character of his Warriors as they produced an impressive second half show to eventually defeat his old employers Bristol Rugby 38-20 and claim a bonus point victory in the RFU Championship at Sixways.

Centre Alex Crockett – against his former club – a brace from Marcel Garvey and late bonus point try from Adam Balding ensured a maximum haul for Warriors.

However, it was not all easy for Worcester who were forced to work hard against a Bristol outfit that impressed both hill and the Sixways faithful.

Hill said: “That was a step up from what we have produced in the previous six games and we needed to because Bristol were on top of their game – that is the best I have seen them play this season.

“That was very close to the intensity of an Aviva Premiership game, we know Bristol are capable of that and we should be capable of that.

“Bristol stayed with us and at 16-3 they used a set piece move to get back into the game. We had rehearsed to defend that, but we didn’t do that well.

“They struck on the stroke of half-time and we made it difficult, we had the wind in our face in the second half so I was pleased that we showed some character at the start of the second half and worked our way back into the game.

“It was a good test of character – Bristol had their tails up and sensed a victory. Our lads were a little bit quiet in the dressing room to start with but we responded.

“It was a big game for me, I had six years at Bristol and I wanted to win this one,” added Hill.

“It wasn’t a very pleasant evening at some stages, though, because Bristol were playing exceptionally well. I have not seen Nicky Little tackle like that, he was smashing everything and he, for me, in many ways epitomised the levels they put in.

“They are a top four team and if they play like that they will be a handful in the play-offs.

“This was the first fixture where I would have expected the players to be up a couple more notches in terms of motivation, we have strolled through games in the last six matches and bee below par.

“This was the first night when we did a lot of work to get the players in the right frame of mind and, despite Bristol’s position in the table, they are a good side. Thankfully we treated them with a huge amount of respect.”

Hill was also full of praise for the Worcester crowd as over 7,000 enjoyed the Friday night atmosphere under the floodlights at Sixways.

“The crowd were great, I do like the experience under lights and you get a closer atmosphere,” added Hill.

“We gave another two big games here in the next three weeks and it was important we set a good example for the crowd and played well.

“We want them to enjoy themselves and even more to come the next time we play.”


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