An early Simon McIntyre try, following a blistering opening from Wasps, gave the home side a 10-0 at the break before a second half fight-back from Warriors.

Andy Goode got Worcester on the scoreboard minutes into the second half and a long range drop goal cut the lead to four points.

A tense final five minutes saw Warriors go all out for the winning score and Jon Clarke was agonisingly close to collecting a Goode cross field kick with less than two minutes left as Wasps held on.

Head Coach Richard Hill had called on his Warriors to start the game with tempo and intent, but it was the visitors who really flew out of the traps to dominate early possession and territory and were ahead in four minutes.

The home forwards smashed into contact at pace with the big frame of Billy Vunipola prominent as he barged past bodies. Back row Joe Launchbury then broke a tackle to race up close to the line.

More intelligent phase play finally saw McIntyre collect a neat inside pass from Tom Palmer and score from close range with Stephen Jones added the extras for a 7-0 lead.

Worcester looked to respond with an Goode penalty hitting the left hand post and falling for the chasing Matt Kvesic who picked up the loose ball but was bundled into touch. Worcester then stole the resulting lineout, but a knock on robbed them of a promising position.

Wasps were in the ascendancy and turned down a kickable chance to go for the corner and set up a driving lineout. Worcester held firm after a sustained period of home pressure, but a series of penalties saw Jones finally opt for the posts and land a kick for a 10-0 lead.

A penalty against Josh Matavesi - spotted by the touch judge - saw Wasps gain more strong field position in the opening quarter and with Joe Simpson pulling the strings looked to break through again until Vunipola coughed up ball after a big hit on the Number Eight.

Worcester caused their own problems as Grove knocked on a difficult long pass from Goode deep inside his own 22. The Warriors were again given a stern examination but they held firm and Lemi won a penalty as he forced a turnover on the floor.

Warriors finally looked set to record some points as the forwards drove a lineout and Aleki Lutui rattled up close. Chris Jones also made a dart for the line before Goode's delayed pass to Betty just failed to find hands.

Play was pulled back for penalty and Worcester kicked for the corner, but the lineout was this time adjudged not to be straight and the chance went begging.

Lemi continued to impress against his old club with some sublime skill as he stopped Southwell's kick from finding touch and flicked it through his legs as he fell out of play before kicking clear.

Another penalty to the visitors saw Goode kick to the corner, but once again the lineout failed to find its jumper as Wasps stole possession and cracked the ball clear.

Lemi looked to pick a way through the Wasps defence with a clever chip that fell kindly for Southwell as he raced back alongside Simpson before the scrum half completed the work by booming an impressive kick into the visiting half.

Worcester's attacking intent came to the fore as Kvesic and Matavesi broke down the middle as Warriors threatened. The ball was sent through phases, but once Worcester were penalised for holding on to the clear frustration of the visitors.

Worcester looked to spread the play wide in the final moments of the first half but, after the ball was spun left at pace down the line, Pennell failed to find Lemi with a grubber kick ahead.

A final flourish to the opening 40 minutes saw Varndell superbly collect a kick with one hand and race down the wing while on the opposite flank Lemi was first back to stop Christian Wade burning up the yards to touch down another kick ahead into space.

Worcester started the second half on the front foot and a big shunt from the pack gave Goode a shot at goal that he slotted to reduce the lead to 10-3. Jones, however, saw his effort fly wide left for Wasps just moments later.

Pennell produced a neat pass out the back of his hand to send Kvesic into space, but play was pulled back as referee Geraint-Roberts harshly called for a forward pass.

Worcester cut the lead back again as, with a penalty already secured, Goode produced a superb drop goal from long range.

Ravai Fatiaki was introduced for Matavesi and was straight into the thick of the action before Lutui produced a thundering hit on Tom Lindsay to secure ball as Wasps looked to strike for a second try.

Simpson then showed real invention to kick in behind Worcester, but Wade just failed to collect the bouncing ball under pressure from Goode.

The visiting pack produced two massive scrums to push Wasps back and win penalties, but Worcester failed to find the jumper in the resulting lineout and the hosts cleared to the relief of the home crowd.

Jones looked to ease growing home nerves with a penalty, after Warriors were penalised for not releasing, but his surprisingly missed his kick. Home hearts were then in mouths as a charge down kick fell nicely for Elliot Daly to hack clear.

Wasps looked to crank up the pressure in the final ten minutes, but the home side were guilty of an infringement spotted by the touch judge and Goode kicked clear.

A huge drive from the Worcester forwards, led by Mullan, saw Wasps pushed back into their own 22, but as Hodgson looked to release his backs the ball was spilled forward.

The game was now end to end as Simpson broke away as Wasps threatened before back came Warriors as Lemi nearly raced into space before Goode's cross field kick just skipped and evaded Clarke for what would have been a match winning score.

Worcester surged for the line in the closing seconds looking for the try to win it and went close as Wasps held firm time and time again with time up. The final play of the game saw Worcester go through phase after phase looking for a way through, but they could find no way past as a knock on brought the game to an end.

Timeline:

04m McIntrye t Jones c 7-0

14m Jones p 10-0

43m Goode p 10-3

51m Goode dg 10-6

Warriors: 01 Matt Mullan (Ce Jones 74), 02 Aleki Lutui (Hayes 74), 03 John Andress (Currie 74), 04 James Percival, 05 Dean Schofield (Gillies 60), 06 Chris Jones, 07 Sam Betty, 08 Matt Kvesic (Cowan 60), 09 Jonny Arr (Hodgson 65), 10 Andy Goode, 11 David Lemi, 12 Josh Matavesi (Fatiaki 51), 13 Alex Grove, 14 Jon Clarke, 15 Chris Pennell (Carlisle 65)

Replacements: 16 Ollie Hayes, 17 Ceri Jones, 18 James Currie, 19 Craig Gillies, 20 Blair Cowan, 21 Paul Hodgson, 22 Joe Carlisle, 23 Ravai Fatiaki