Worcester Warriors condemn London Irish to relegation with demolition of sorry Harlequins

Worcester Warriors 44-12 Harlequins: Four first-half tries secured the bonus point needed to secure Premiership safety and condemn the Exiles to the Championship

Jackson Williland scores two of seven tries that confirmed Worcester's Premiership status next season (Getty)

Centre Ben Te'o grabbed the try which keeps Worcester Warriors in the Premiership for another season.

The Warriors needed just one point to condemn London Irish to relegation and they scored four first-half tries against a sorry Harlequins side which confirmed safety for them.

Indeed, Worcester looked more like play-off contenders than strugglers as wing Bryce Heem, centre Jackson Willison, lock Darren Barry and Te'o raced over the Quins line during the opening period of the 44-13 success.

Scrum-half Francois Hougaard, replacement Jamie Shillcock and Willison again took the try count to seven in the second half.

Quins grabbed a try from wing Charlie Walker, with fly-half Marcus Smith kicking two penalties and a conversion - but they were well beaten.

Jones and Smith shared a penalty each before the tries started, initially at both ends but latterly in the first half in the visiting half.

England centre Ben Te'o secured the bonus-point with the fourth try before half-time (Getty)

Right wing Heem began Worcester's bombardment when his pack won an attacking line-out. The ball was sent across the backs where full-back Chris Pennell, on his 200th appearance for the Warriors, sent over Heem in the right corner.

Quins retaliated when scrum-half Danny Care took a quick tap penalty and sent Walker roaring home from 25 metres.

That put Quins two points in front but, from then, it was all Worcester.

Donncha O'Callaghan said farewell to the Worcester fans as he heads into retirement (Getty)

A drive by Irish lock Donnacha O'Callaghan, playing the last game of his career, set up a ruck near the Quins 22 for Hougaard to pick up and send away Willison to the corner.

Care was sin-binned in the 25th minute for an illegal charge on Hougaard which, seconds later, saw Barry drive over from two metres near the posts.

Smith reduced the Quins arrears with a 41-metre penalty but Te'o's blistering burst down the right from a Pennell pass 30 metres out brought a huge cheer from the Sixways crowd, who understood the relevance of the bonus point touchdown.

That was job done but, as good as the Warriors were, their victory was, in part, down to Harlequins' ineptitude.

The Londoners' woeful away record continued - they have not won away in the Aviva Premiership since September, when they beat Wasps.

Harlequins have fallen into an end-of-season rut they cannot get themselves out of (Getty)

Hougaard got Worcester's fifth touchdown after a quick tap penalty and solo 30-metre run to the line in the 46th minute.

O'Callaghan came off on the hour to a standing ovation from the Sixways crowd and handshakes all around.

Shillcock continued the home celebrations with his side's sixth try, which he also converted, as he ran through some terribly weak tackling.

And Willison finished it off in the last two minutes to make it a magnificent seven touchdowns and give Quins plenty to think about on the way home.

Teams

Worcester: Pennell, Heem, Te'o, Willison, Adams, Jones, Hougaard, Bower, Singleton, Schonert, O'Callaghan, Barry, Mama, Lewis, van Velze.

Replacements: Taufete'e, Waller, Milasinovich, Bresler, Denton, Arr, Shillcock, Hammond.

Harlequins: Brown, Walker, Marchant, Roberts, Alofa, Smith, Care, Marler, Ward, Sinckler, Merrick, Matthews, Robshaw, Wallace, Luamanu.

Replacements: Elia, Lambert, Collier, South, White, Lewis, Lang, Visser.

Referee: Craig Maxwell-Keys (RFU)