Head Coach Richard Hill was keen to focus on the positives and keep the momentum going as Warriors picked up a losing bonus point after running league leaders Harlequins close at Twickenham Stoop.
A first half try from Miles Benjamin saw Worcester make a blistering start to the Aviva Premiership clash and the game remained in the balance throughout with the boot of Nick Evans eventually edging the Londoners to a 16-14 win.
Worcester were left to take the consolation of a thoroughly deserved losing bonus point for the second successive game after a narrow loss to Sale Sharks just a week earlier.
However, Hill was pleased with the work ethic and attitude of his Warriors and believes the signs are very good as Worcester produced another positive performance.
“I’m delighted with a point – it keeps that momentum going,” said Hill. “We won away at Wasps, won at home to Gloucester and we knew this four match period, with three away games, was going to be a tough period.
“To get a point up at Sale was a very good effort and we could have won. To get a point at Harlequins, the league leaders, it is a terrific point for us too. Yes, we are disappointed to have lost, but it will give us confidence going into next week’s home game with Saracens.
“There is nothing worse than going back on the bus with nothing at all, but we take one point from a very good team.
“I think we surprised Harlequins with how we played,” he added. “Last week against Sale the one criticism we had of ourselves was that we kicked a bit too much ball back instead of keeping it in hand.
“We decided in this game, provided we had enough players behind the ball, to counter attack and we made some superb breaks in the first 20 minutes and looked very good. We were accurate and played some good attacking rugby.
“But conditions gradually deteriorated under foot and it was a little bit more difficult to do that. Both teams were slugging it out to try and get the three points to win the game come the end.”
The key moment of the game came just after the halfway stage of the first half when Quins were awarded a penalty try.
“We didn’t dismantle their lineout drive and it started with a kick that went straight out so that was a lack of accuracy,” admitted Hill. “We failed to deal with it and then conceded the penalty try and the yellow card, which wasn’t good.
“One or two lineouts didn’t function in the game as well as they should have done, one or two kicks weren’t as good as they could have been.
“If we were a top four team now you would be hyper-critical. But this is our first year back in the Premiership and we are going to make mistakes.
“However, the way the players are working and trying to cover up for those is what I am looking at. We are going to make errors, we are not full of international players and where we all want to be yet, and we are playing a team full of confidence at the moment and we worked exceptionally hard.
Hill also praised the performance of fly half Danny Gray as he made his first league start for the club in the most difficult of places against the high flying table-toppers.
He added: “I thought Danny did very well. To come into such a difficult game, after Andy Goode and Joe Carlisle were ruled out, and perform the way he did was good.
“He looked confident playing against an exceptionally good ten in Nick Evans and he ran the game well.
“I was very pleased again, for the second week running, with the way the nine and ten dictated the tactics. I thought we had it spot on, just a little bit of accuracy let us down.”
“I’m delighted with a point – it keeps that momentum going. We won away at Wasps, won at home to Gloucester and we knew this four match period, with three away games, was going to be a tough period…"