WORCESTER Warriors paid a heavy price for poor discipline against London Irish with a heavy 43-12 defeat against one of the Gallagher Premiership’s form teams at the Brentford Community Stadium.

A heavy penalty count, particularly in the first-half, meant that it was impossible to build a platform for victory and an afternoon of hard and unrewarding toil was the result as Irish ran in seven tries.

To make matters worse Duhan van der Merwe was sent off seven minutes into the second half for making contact with the head of his opposite number Kyle Rowe.

Van der Merwe led with the forearm as he went to hand off Rowe but made contact with the face and referee Jack Makepeace pulled out the red card.

By the time van der Merwe departed, Irish had already secured the try bonus point and a likely win for the Exiles became an inevitability.

A try in each half from Noah Heward provided Warriors with crumbs of comfort along with Willi Heinz’s return to action after five months out and a Premiership debut for Jack Forsythe, who came off the bench in the second-half.

Warriors should have taken the lead after four minutes but Billy Searle scuffed his penalty attempt and instead it was former Warriors hooker Agustin Creevy who first on the scoresheet when he was driven over for the opening try.

Paddy Jackson was unable to add the conversion into a swirling wind but Warriors responded with a neat break from Searle which opened up the defence only for Irish to reorganise and snuff out the opportunity.

Instead it was Irish who extended their lead after Warriors were reduced to 14 men by the sin-binning of Christian Judge after Warriors were penalised several times in quick succession.

Left wing Lucio Cinti went over while a penalty advantage was being played but Jackson again missed his conversion and, despite their scrum difficulties, Warriors were still in the game.

But a try from Juan Martin Gonzalez and a conversion from Jackson put Irish firmly in control although Warriors pulled back a score in first-half injury time when Heward crossed to round off a period of sustained pressure.

That score gave Warriors a glimmer of hope but it did not last for long as Curtis Rona opened up the defence with powerful run and Creevy went over from close range for his second try.

Rona scored himself shortly after van der Merwe departed and he was followed over by Jackson then replacement scrum-half Ben White.

Heward scored his second try but it was of no consolation to Worcester.