CRESTFALLEN Mike Ruddock was left to bemoan Worcester Warriors’ lack of intensity as they were out-manoeuvred by improving Harlequins at Sixways.

Although the Londoners had suffered back-to-back European defeats in the two-week break from Guinness Premiership action, while Warriors had managed one win, Quins made all the running and there only ever looked likely to be one winner.

John Kingston’s men had impressed in tight Heineken Cup losses to Cardiff Blues and Toulouse, while Worcester had been up against lesser lights Olympus Rugby XV Madrid and Montpellier in the Amlin Challenge Cup — and the difference between the two sides showed.

A visibly dejected Ruddock admitted: “We’re frustrated as there were a lot of errors, we didn’t perform to the levels we wanted to.

“We’re very disappointed. We go into our home games looking to win and develop a fortress mentality, but it didn’t happen for us.

“We hadn’t played well in the first-half and turned around behind, after they had taken advantage of the wind. We got ourselves back into a position where we were 13-12 down and needed to stay in that area, maintain field position and apply pressure.

“Obviously, they broke away and scored. It was a big moment when the scrap broke out in the corner and the penalty went against us. They got field position and then scored when the ball broke their way.

“But they deserved to win. They were the better team and much more streetwise than us and took their chances.

“We huffed and puffed and showed lots of effort but, if I am honest, we have played a lot better in games against Leicester and Northampton when we put ourselves in a position to win. We didn’t do that against Quins.

“We did fight back, yet we weren’t the better team and that is why I am so disappointed.

“If we are serious about getting up the table and really being a force, we have got to win our home games.

“We have to nail down matches like this, we should look to beat them at home and it didn’t happen.

“We showed a little bit of fortitude and spirit to make sure we got the bonus point.

“But we weren’t good enough for whatever reason, be that lacking the intensity of recent weeks or not having enough ability across the park to do it.

“We will reflect on that but the reality is we didn’t play well enough to beat them.”

Ruddock also revealed he did not see eye-to-eye with referee Tim Wigglesworth on several of the penalties given against his side.

He explained: “There were a few knock-ons by Harlequins when people picked the ball up in front.

“Normally, I would expect that to be a penalty. The referee did not feel that was justified and, from one of those positions, they scored a try.

“But it’s not the reason we lost the game. We lost because we weren’t playing to our potential and didn’t do as well as we did against Sale or Leeds.

“If we had played as well as that, we would have nicked Saturday’s game.”