GUTSY Warriors battled back to snatch a see-saw victory over Perpignan in the Amlin Challenge Cup at Sixways on Thursday night.

Worcester dominated the opening 40 minutes to lead 16-8 at the break with fly-half Andy Goode scoring all of their points, but the Frenchmen rallied in the second period to take the lead late on.

However, Goode managed to knock over a penalty with two-and-a-half minutes to go, before Welsh stand-off James Hook missed a last-gasp drop-goal attempt to win it for the visitors. Early in the game, Perpignan looked to drive the ball out of defence, but were penalised on the floor with Goode splitting the uprights to open the scoring.

Euan Murray then led a first-half demolition job on the Perpignan pack as Warriors battered their way into the lead.

The Scotland international gave Sona Taumalolo a torrid time in the set-pieces as the visitors conceded a string of penalties, before their Tongan loosehead was sin-binned on 32 minutes. Goode dispatched two scrum penalties either side of a well-taken try by visiting scrum-half Florian Cazenave, who benefited from a superb off-load from big second row Romain Taofifenua. Hook missed the conversion.

Warriors again drove at the heart of the Perpignan defence through Nikki Walker and Matt Kvesic, before Goode surged for the line and, following consultation with the television match official, the try was given.

The Warriors fly-half added the extras to make it 16-5, while Hook managed to claw three points back with a drop-goal on the stroke of half-time.

Back to their full complement early in the second-half, Perpignan gathered themselves and came back strongly at Worcester with Hook landing back-to-back penalties to put his side within two points of the hosts.

Warriors then spent 20 minutes a man down as first Neil Best and then Ceri Jones were sin-binned as Perpignan piled on the pressure at the scrum. Under the cosh on their own line, Warriors were penalised three times in a row at the scrum, which resulted in referee Neil Hennessey awarding a penalty try, which Hook improved to put Perpignan ahead.

From the re-start, though, Perpignan were guilty of blocking and Goode was able to stop the rot with the penalty.

The numerical advantage then swung back in Warriors’ favour as Perpignan wing Adrien Plante was sin-binned for a crude tackle on Chris Pennell as the home full-back fielded an up-and-under.

The hosts burst back downfield and forced a penalty in front of the posts, which Goode knocked over to put his side back into the lead.

Despite a nervy final few seconds when Worcester conceded possession to allow Hook a drop-goal chance to win it at the death, the Welshman’s effort was off target and Sixways celebrated a fine European scalp.

Warriors: Pennell; Walker, Grove (Short, 67), Matavesi, Lemi (Claassens, 67); Goode, Hodgson (Arr, 55); Ceri Jones, Shervington (Lutui, 55), Murray (Andress, 67), Percival, Chris Jones (Schofield, 55), Best (Betty, 63), Kvesic, Taulava (O’Donnell, 63-73).

Attendance: 7,801.

Referee: Neil Hennessy.