Adams treble eases Worcester relegation fears, Bristol upset Sarries

Josh Adams scored a second-half hat-trick as Worcester Warriors took a big step towards Premiership survival with a 39-17 win over Sale Sharks, while Bristol Bears shocked Saracens on Saturday.

Worcester moved seven points clear of bottom side Newcastle Falcons – beaten by Leicester Tigers on Friday – with only three games remaining by securing a seventh top-flight win of the season at Sixways.

Francois Hougaard laid on an early opening try for Sam Lewis and Chris Pennell added a second added a second for the Warriors before Josh Beaumont’s converted score made it 17-7 at the break.

Duncan Weir and AJ MacGinty scored a penalty apiece, then Adams crossed twice in the space of nine minutes to secure the bonus point before completing a treble after Matt Postlethwaite finished at the other end.

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— Worcester Warriors (@WorcsWarriors) April 13, 2019

Bristol look set to preserve their Premiership status after Ian Madigan snatched a 23-21 victory over the defending champions at Ashton Gate.

Sarries outscored the Bears by three tries to two and Ralph Adams-Hale looked to have won it when he touched down for a score which Alex Goode converted 12 minutes from time, but Madigan booted Pat Lam’s men 11 points ahead of the Falcons.

Northampton Saints enhanced their chances of securing a semi-final spot with a dramatic 20-19 win over fourth-placed Harlequins, Alex Mitchell scoring a late winning try at The Stoop.

The Saints are only four points behind Quins and sit in fifth place after Bath suffered a 27-23 derby defeat at Gloucester after Todd Blackadder’s side had raced into a 17-0 lead.

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