WORCESTER will travel to Melrose this Wednesday hoping to improve on a disappointing 22-10 defeat at home to Ebbw Vale.

Neither side impressed but Worcester at least made attempts to entertain the crowd while their Welsh visitors seemed content to use the encounter to practice their kicking.

The first points of the match came after three minutes as Jason Strange kicked a simple penalty for Ebbw Vale.

Tony Yapp equalised for Worcester, but the home side never looked at ease and repeatedly threw away decent possession.

Ebbw Vale looked the more controlled side, and three more penalties from Strange gave them a 12-3 half-time lead.

The crowd were given more to watch in the second half as Tongan international Damien Pensini, the Ebbw Vale prop, was sin-binned for a high tackle.

A farcical situation then held up the play as Ebbw Vale, unable to find a replacement prop, substituted a flanker immediately and Pensini returned to the field.

Attractive

Worcester made amends with their only try of the match coming from former England A wing Spencer Bromley.

Sateki Tuipulotu's conversion brought Worcester back into the game at 12-10 and Worcester seemed to be eager to finally play attractive rugby.

Efficient linking play from Earl Va'a and Sixways newcomer Samoan centre Laulala Langkilde saw Bromley narrowly miss out on a second score just moments later, but the pass was inches out.

Passes were sloppy and decisions were rushed however, and Ebbw Vale and Welsh international scrum half Richard Smith cut the home defence to pieces to run in a quality solo try.

Strange converted and added his fifth penalty to effectively put the game beyond Worcester's reach, but the Sixways squad made one last effort for the line with a superb passage of linking passes which took them out of their own 22 and within yards of the opposition line.

The final pass just wasn't good enough however, summing up a frustrating afternoon for Worcester.