Worcester Warriors 23 Gloucester 23

TAKE out the opening 15 minutes and a backs-to-the-wall finale and Worcester were much the better side in this Aviva Premiership M5 derby.

It’s hard to predict anything in rugby union but few would have bet against a Warriors triumph had they retained 15 players on the pitch.

Six days is a long time in sport and this gutsy display from Carl Hogg’s men would have silenced a few critics after their comprehensive defeat to European champions Saracens.

Warriors will rue Alafoti Fa’osiliva’s red card as Gloucester hit back from 20-9 down but their front five worked their socks off and enjoyed dominance in the scrum exchanges for large periods.

Prop James Johnston had his best game for Worcester and Val Rapava Ruskin also scrummaged strongly and won several important turnovers.

The work-rate of the recalled Donncha O’Callaghan was outstanding and the back row had a better balance with Marco Mama and Fa’osiliva providing plenty of power and Phil Dowson guiding the troops from number eight.

Warriors’ line-out still needs plenty of work, however, and it almost cost them after a couple of sloppy moments in the second half.

The only fresh concern will be over the fitness of centre Ben Te’o who marked his home debut with a try in front of onlooking England head coach Eddie Jones.

Te’o took a bang on the head in the first half and was replaced at the break by rookie Perry Humphreys, who slotted in at full-back and finished off a wonderful try of his own.

Fa’osiliva’s dismissal will be the main talking point but the flanker had put in a promising shift until his evening was cut short.

In truth, there didn’t appear to be malicious intent in Fa’osiliva’s 52nd-minute collision with Gloucester lock Mariano Galarza.

As Fa’osiliva’s charged forward with the ball in hand, his forearm caught the challenging Galarza flush on the jaw.

With the large screens inside the stadium not working, referee Luke Pearce was directed to dish out a red card by television match official Stuart Terheege.

It proved the turning point in the contest.

Greig Laidlaw, who finished with a 13-point tally, fired the visitors 3-0 ahead but Warriors hit back and Te’o cut through to score after Jonny Arr’s break.

Laidlaw added a second penalty before Cooper Vuna finished off a handling move involving Jackson Willison and Dean Hammond which the impressive Ryan Lamb converted.

Lamb’s penalty steered Warriors into a 15-6 half-time lead before Laidlaw replied with his third three-pointer early in the second period.

Despite being reduced to 14 men, a superbly taken individual try from Humphreys, who swept off a couple of tacklers, sent Worcester into a 20-9 advantage.

However, Matt Scott went under the posts and Laidlaw’s conversion clawed Gloucester to within four points.

Tom Heathcote’s penalty made it 23-16 only for wing Henry Purdy to crash over and Laidlaw’s fine conversion levelled matters on 70 minute.

Warriors defended desperately in the dying moments as Gloucester camped inside the hosts' 22.

Warriors held out and it’s impossible not to conclude this was two points lost for the hosts who deserved to christen their new state-of-the-art playing surface with a memorable win.