Worcester boss Mike Ruddock admitted that Tom Wood let frustration get the better of him during the Warriors' defeat at Bath.
Worcester boss says Wood "let his frustration boil over"
Worcester boss Mike Ruddock admitted that Tom Wood let frustration get the better of him during the Warriors' 37-30 Guinness Premiership defeat at Bath.
The flanker was sent off after collecting a second yellow card with 20 minutes left at the Recreation Ground, with Bath proceeding to score three of their five tries.
It was Bath's fourth successive league victory, but Worcester remain deep in the relegation mire just one point above bottom club Leeds Carnegie.
Ruddock said: "Tom let his frustration boil over, and he has apologised to his team-mates.
"Tom was pulled out of a maul, was roughed up on the floor, and he has reacted to that. It is a harsh lesson for us."
Worcester were just 18-13 adrift prior to the sending off, but Bath's ultimately comfortable win leaves the Warriors still seeking their first Premiership away success since April last year.
Bath captain Michael Claassens, winger Matt Banahan and substitute Jonny Faamatuainu claimed touchdowns after Joe Maddock had scored twice in the first half.
Their victory was, however, soured by a shoulder injury suffered by their South African World Cup winger Butch James, who departed early in the second half.
He was replaced by England international Olly Barkley for his first appearance since sustaining a broken leg last summer.
Scrap
Worcester are now in a scrap for Premiership survival - they visit Leeds on April 25 - and Ruddock accepts some tough battles lie ahead.
"It is a dogfight for a number of teams, not just us, and we have to make home advantage count in the run-in, " he added.
"Leeds away is a big game, but nothing has really changed because that was the case before today.
"I thought we started really well and we could have gone 10-0 up. The confidence was there, but we didn't always make the good decisions."
Apart from Wood, Worcester's Australian full-back Chris Latham was also sin-binned for a late challenge, but Ruddock said: "I thought it was a very harsh decision.
"Bath have hit a purple patch, and once you are down to 13 men then you have to chase the game.
"I am as frustrated as anyone else about the yellow cards. In the heat of battle, people are still making some bad decisions."
Bath's win means they have gained further momentum in their push for the Premiership play-offs - an outcome that seemed unlikely following their erratic performances earlier in the season.
They are now just five points behind fifth-placed Wasps, and head coach Steve Meehan saluted another impressive bonus point display.
He said: "I was impressed with our tempo and endeavour. It was a great example of running onto the ball at pace, which is very difficult to stop when we are in that sort of mood.
"We want to enjoy ourselves, and we are going out there and doing that.
"It was a pretty good team performance. It is all down to confidence and being happy to move the ball around the field. If you move the ball in space, it makes it hard work for the defence."
