THIS was an acid test for Worcester Warriors against a Newcastle Falcons side at the foot of the Aviva Premiership table – and they came away with a deserved 28-20 victory.

It was never going to define either side’s season, with the fixture in November, but it is vital Worcester win their battles, particularly at Sixways.

The all-action displays from Matt Cox and stand-in skipper Phil Dowson led the way as Warriors wrapped up a try bonus point before the interval.

Falcons made Warriors work hard defensively for long periods, particularly in the second half, but the hosts passed the test.

Warriors were clinical in attack, getting in Newcastle’s 22 on four occasions in the opening 40 minutes and scoring each time.

Centre Alex Grove stepped into the void left by Wynand Olivier, who was getting married in South Africa, and notched two well-taken tries.

The arrival of New Zealand back Bryce Heem is an exciting one.

Heem is a tall man with excellent handing skills and marked his Worcester debut with a try.

Fly-half Tom Heathcote was back to his best with a big part in a couple of tries and converting all four for the hosts.

All eyes were on Warriors’ front row, particularly after their torrid time in the scrum against Gloucester.

The recalled Val Rapava Ruskin, Niall Annett and Nick Schonert more than held their own in the scrum although, at times, it was messy.

The lock combination of Donncha O’Callaghan and Darren Barry appears to be working well, too, with the former Cornish Pirate at home in the top tier.

Warriors were dealt a blow before kick-off when Gerrit-Jan van Velze was forced to withdraw from the squad due to injury, with Dowson switching to eight and Cox coming in at flanker.

In a frenetic first half, Warriors withstood early pressure to strike the first blow after Heem broke through after a neat inside pass from Heathcote.

Heem was brought down short of the line and the ball was recycled quickly for Pennell to cross in the corner.

Newcastle hit back to draw level with a converted try. Good work between Michael Young and forward Ali Hogg led to the scrum-half going over.

But Warriors regained the lead with a move which brought the crowd to their feet.

Heathcote’s cross-field chip was superbly flicked on by Pennell, who narrowly got the better of Alex Tait, and Heem collected to race through.

It got even better for Worcester when Heathcote found Grove in space on the left and the centre outstripped Giamba Venditti for the hosts’ third try.

Mike Delany, who had earlier struck the upright with a penalty attempt, made no mistake with his second.

But Grove sealed Worcester’s try bonus point in the 37th minute, stretching to dab down after being hauled down short of the line.

Heathcote’s conversion put Warriors 28-10 ahead.

Falcons ended a breathless first half with renewed hope after replacement Tom Catterick finished off a slick move involving Juan Socino and Delany, who added the extras.

Falcons dominated possession and territory after the break and reduced the deficit through Catterick’s close-range penalty.

But Warriors held firm and Ryan Lamb was off target with a late penalty attempt.