THREE tries in the last eight minutes swept Warriors back to the top of the Greene King IPA Championship with victory at Yorkshire Carnegie.

Winger Sam Smith capped an outstanding display with four tries as Dean Ryan’s men, once again, found an extra gear when they needed it.

The 36-17 scoreline flattered Warriors, who faced a 14-0 deficit after half-an-hour and, after edging ahead, were pegged back to 17-17 with 12 minutes remaining.

With the game in the balance, Ryan made a bold move by making a triple substitution — Joe Rees, Ignacio Mieres and Charlie Mulchrone were all thrown into the fray.

The move paid off with Smith bagging three late tries, including a breakaway effort.

Warriors’ big-name players stepped up to the plate at crucial moments.

Former Wales international Jonathan Thomas carried the ball strongly on his 32nd birthday and made hard yards in his best display since returning from a long-term injury.

Gerrit-Jan van Velze showed his influence and hard work to spark Warriors’ revival after the visitors had made a poor start to the encounter.

A disappointment for Warriors was a leg injury to replacement Matt Cox, who left the ground on crutches.

Most in the crowd must have thought an upset was on the cards when Carnegie fly-half Harry Leonard converted two penalties and Ryan Lamb miscued badly in front of the posts.

Smith made a crucial intervention with a try-saving tackle on full-back Christian Georgiou, who had a player in space on the outside.

But it soon got worse for the visitors when a mistake from full-back Chris Pennell gifted Carnegie a try in the 19th minute.

Pennell dived on a loose ball, which had been booted towards the try-line by Georgiou, but it somehow squirmed out of the England full-back’s grasp.

Home centre Rob Vickerman followed up to slide over the line for a try and Leonard’s third penalty soon afterwards stretched Yorkshire’s lead to 14-0.

Worcester suddenly woke up and scored two quick-fire tries from catch-and-drive moves after Lamb had kicked penalties to the corner.

In the first instance, flanker Mat Gilbert was driven over for a converted try after Darren O’Shea had gathered a line-out. On the stroke of half-time, Pennell atoned for his mistake to ride a couple of tackles and touch down after good work up front from van Velze.

Warriors trailed 14-12 at the interval and it was the first time in this season’s Championship they had been behind at the break.

The visitors went ahead for the first time in the 52nd minute when scrum-half Jonny Arr found Smith, who touched down in the corner. Leonard levelled the match with a simple penalty after Warriors were guilty of collapsing a scrum in front of their own posts and the match seemed very much in the balance.

However, Warriors stepped up the tempo and scored 19 points in eight minutes.

Ryan Mills and Mulchrone teed up Smith for his second try to restore Warriors’ lead and the winger’s sole effort, which Mieres converted, made the game safe.

Ryan Bower was just held up over the line and, from the resulting scrum, Smith completed his try-scoring account as the hosts tired.

Mieres slotted the conversion as Warriors chalked up a ninth successive win.