Northampton leave it late

Northampton produced a terrific comeback to open their Guinness Premiership campaign with a 20-17 win over Worcester at Franklin's Gardens.

The away side had raced into a surprise lead against the run of play thanks to tries from Miles Benjamin and Kai Horstmann.

However, it was Northampton who dominated territory and possession and eventually were rewarded when Paul Diggin went over the try-line to complete the turnaround in the closing stages

The visitors bore down on their opponents' line within the first minute after successfully gathering their own kick-off, but after a Saints scrum the danger was cleared.

Northampton had the chance to open the scoring on six minutes but Bruce Reihana failed to convert a long-range kick after Worcester had been penalised for offside.

Stephen Myler almost created a try when he sent a dangerous kick into the corner but Benjamin thwarted Diggin's chase and touched down behind his own line.

Pressure

The hosts continued to pile on the pressure but Worcester scored completely against the run of play when Myler's kick was charged down and Bejamin finished off a quick break by the away side.

Willie Walker added a tricky conversion to give the Warriors a shock 7-0 lead before extending the advantage to 10 points shortly afterwards with a simple penalty.

Northampton looked to respond immediately but conceded a penalty for an infringement during the breakdown just five metres from the Worcester try line.

Horstmann then extended the lead when the number eight powered over the line after a scrum deep in Northampton territory.

Walker's conversion ensured that the visitors enjoyed a comfortable 17-point lead with 30 minutes gone.

The hosts finally got on the scoresheet when flanker Phil Dowson was adjudged to have successfully grounded the ball by the video referee and Myler added the extras.

Comeback

Myler then sent a monster penalty wide of the posts as the two sides headed into half-time separated by 10 points.

The Saints were again the dominant force in the opening minutes of the second-half but a neat break by Tom Wood almost resulted in another surprise try for Worcester.

Northampton's hopes took a hit when influential stand-off Myler was eliminated with an ankle injury after 50 minutes, while Walker missed another chance for the visitors when he sent a difficult penalty crashing into the upright.

In Myler's absence, Shane Geraghty reduced the deficit to seven points after he slotted home a penalty from the left-hand side of the pitch.

The hosts were awarded another penalty after Pat Sanderson was found to be offside and Geraghty nailed the long and straight kick.

Worcester were forced to play the closing stages with 14 men after Walker was sin-binned and with three minutes remaining Northampton's relentless pressure finally paid-off.

The Saints spun the ball out to the left and Reihana slipped the ball inside to Diggin, who dived over the line to the delight of the home crowd before Geraghty secured victory with the conversion.