A LATE penalty try secured a losing bonus-point for Warriors on a freezing night in Manchester against a lacklustre Sale Sharks side.

Sharks' captain Jono Ross scored the decisive try four minutes from time as the Worcester defence eventually faltered. 

They had shown plenty of grit throughout the performance without much cutting-edge but a 79th minute penalty try awarded by referee Wayne Barnes meant they head home with something to show for their efforts. 

Despite the point, it was another away defeat for Worcester, who have now lost four Gallagher Premiership matches in a row (disregarding the default win handed to them after Harlequins forfeit last weekend). 

The night had started dry, cold, but dry but after 20 minutes the snow began to fall as AJ MacGinty produced the first points of the game from the tee with a penalty to put the home side 3-0 up.

Sharks' scrum-half Faf de Klerk was proving difficult to deal with for the visitors and it was the South African World Cup winner that scored the first try of the evening as he scampered over from close range after 24 minutes on the clock. 

MacGinty added the extras and Sale had a 10-0 lead. 

Worcester were struggling to get into the game in an attacking sense and didn't make too many entries into the Sale 22 and masic errors and ill discipline meant they couldn't get going. 

MacGinty added another penalty as the half wore on to extend the lead before Duncan Weir reduced the deficit to 10 right on the stroke of half-time with a simple penalty to make it 13-3 at the break. 

The second period started brighter for the away side and they were beginning to work their way into it but despite dominating territory and large amounts of possession, a further Weir penalty was all they could muster. 

It stayed at 13-6 until the last four minutes when Warriors gave away a penalty that saw Sharks enter the Worcester 22 for pretty much the first time in the second-half and they made it count as the skipper Ross went over for the try that, ultimately, sealed the win. 

Worcester won a penalty right from the restart and Weir kicked to the corner to setup the driving maul, which the hosts pulled down illegally before the libe, Barnes deciding to award the peanlty try and a yellow card to Sale's Tom Curry. 

With a minute to go a very unlikely draw was on the cards but Worcester couldn't get out of their own 22 and eventually Weir kicked the ball out and settled for the point. 

Worcester are now up to tenth in the league and have a two week break for European rugby to continue but whether it does, is another story again. 

Full-time: Sale Sharks 20 Worcester Warriors 13.