Warriors started the game at the Stadio Mario Battaglini knowing only a bonus point win would be good enough to keep the pressure on French giants Perpignan for top spot in the pool stages and a place in the last eight.

The visitors had the bonus point wrapped up by the half hour mark as Drauniniu tore over for two tries while Blair Cowan and Nikki Walker - with his first try for Worcester - saw the Warriors open up a commanding 26-0 lead.

The home side showed plenty of spirit and hit back before the break with two tries as Jean Francois Montauriol drove over and Francesco Menon crossed.

The Warriors had plenty to ponder after 17 unanswered points, but a second half avalanche of points saw Jake Abbott, Andy Short, Max Stelling (2), Cowan, Walker and Neil Best all cross the whitewash.

However, the best was saved for last as Drauniniu completed his treble with a superb solo effort in the final few seconds as Warriors kept the fires of making the quarter-finals still burning.

On a firm pitch and in fresh conditions, Worcester looked to assert early dominance as Cowan and skipper Dean Schofield carried strongly into contact and Walker made a lightening break into space down the right as Rovigo looked to hold firm.

Warriors then worked an overlap as Walker was just forced into touch. However, the big Scot was over seconds later for the opening try as, when a powerful drive pulled up, the ball was fed wide for the wing to find a gap and bulldoze his way over.

Drauniniu was in the action as he showed quick feet to make space and Worcester went through phases via Ollie Hayes and Abbott before Jon Clarke just failed to hold onto a difficult high ball as he looked to break away.

Scrum half Jonny Arr kept Rovigo firmly tucked back in their own half with a neat grubber kick while Walker continued to bash through tackles and Rob O'Donnell bounced past two.

A powerful driving maul set up the second try of the game as Cowan peeled off the back and raced down the blindside to score unopposed for a 12-0 lead.

The points started to flow as a superb length of the field move from turnover ball allowed the free running Errie Claassens to ghost past men down the middle and field Drauniniu on halfway who cut back inside and raced away to score.

The speedy winger was at it again five minutes later as move slick handling down the left saw Short feed the pace ace and this time he dummied one way before going the other for the bonus point try on the half hour.

A response from the hosts was swift and spirited as Rhys Lenarduzzi broke the defensive line with a neat step and a resulting lineout catch and drive saw Montauriol force his way over to cut the lead.

It got even better for Rovigo with the last play of the half as Montauriol this time broke a tackle and quick hands from Andrea Bacchetti saw Menon dive over to reduce the deficit even further to 26-14 at the break.

Worcester looked to reassert their dominance early in the second half as Short and Claassens combined to nearly send Drauniniu away.

But it was Basson who continued to eat away at the lead as his penalty attempt hit the crossbar and bounced over before a drop goal attempt drifted just wide.

Worcester finally awoke as Abbott broke away and showed an impressive turn of pace after latching onto Clarke's inside pass on the halfway line to score a fifth try for the visitors.

Short repeated the feat three minutes later as he raced away down the right flank to touch down as the floodgates burst open.

Max Stelling, who scored a quick-fire hat-trick against Bizkaia Gernika early this season, continued his love affair with the Eurpean competition as he produced a magical weaving run and searing pace to escape two men and score the seventh Worcester try.

Ten minutes later the Academy hot prospect, who has been on loan at RFU Championship side Jersey, shared a neat exchange of passes with Drauniniu and then popped up on the winger's shoulder to show his finishing skills once more.

More sustained pressure saw Rovigo down to 14 men, as Guido Calabrese was yellow carded for killing the ball, and Warriors took full advantage of the numerical advantage.

A pinpoint cross field kick from Danny Gray picked out Cowan on the wing to touch down before neat hands sent Neil Best away and over.

Walker grabbed his second of the game in the dying moments as he handed off two men before Drauniniu capped it all with a sublime solo as Warriors finished on a high.

Timeline:

14m Walker t Gray c 0-7

22m Cowan t 0-12

25m Drauniniu t Gray c 0-19

30m Drauniniu t Gray c 0-26

34m Montauriol t Basson c 7-26

40m Menon t Basson c 14-26

49m Basson p 17-26

51m Abbott t Gray c 17-33

54m Short t Gray c 17-40

59m Stelling t Gray c 17-47

69m Stelling t Gray c 17-54

70m Cowan t 17-59

74m Best t Gray c 17-66

79m Walker t Gray c 17-73

80m Drauniniu t Gray c 17-80

Warriors: 01 Matt Mullan (Currie 59, Andress 69)), 02 Ollie Hayes (Lutui 66), 03 Rob O'Donnell, 04 Dean Schofield, 05 Craig Gillies, 06 Sam Betty, 07 Jake Abbott (Best 66), 08 Blair Cowan, 09 Jonny Arr (Frost 59), 10 Danny Gray, 11 Josh Drauniniu, 12 Andy Short, 13 Jon Clarke (Stelling 56), 14 Nikki Walker, 15 Errie Claassens (Howard 56)

Replacements: 16 Aleki Lutui, 17 James Currie, 18 John Andress, 19 James Percival, 20 Neil Best, 21 Ollie Frost, 22 Max Stelling, 23 Ben Howard