Worcester Warriors 24 London Wasps 24
After a match in which both sides claimed primacy, a draw was probably the fairest result, yet the route was of the most circuitous kind.
Worcester could point to the fact they won the try count, three to two, which is not something they can often claim and in the end it was the bare minimum for the amount of excellent positions into which they manoeuvred themselves. A bonus point really should have been theirs.
While Wasps, shorn of ten internationals though admittedly seven of them are English, have a right to argue they dominated all but the first and last few minutes of the first half and most of the second.
In that time they turned a 7-0 deficit into a 24-10 advantage and with ten minutes to go seemed have opened their Premiership account at the second time of asking.
But this was Sixways, the Londoners don't win here and as a result of late scores from Worcester's Kai Horstmann and Dom Feaunati, have now failed to do so on four occasions.
They don't win away from home anywhere very often, indeed just once in the last 11 league trips away from Adams Park.
The suspicion they have a soft underbelly on their travels is allayed only by impressive Heineken Cup successes at Castres and Northampton.
For their part Worcester have a decent home record and were desperate to welcome Mike Ruddock to Sixways with a first win.
There was pre-match talk about turning one of the most well-appointed grounds in the country into a fortress and by the time the hosts were rampant and even pressing for a victory it was bedlam.
But an attendance of 7,105 was 3,000 short of capacity and that, more than any of the last three season's league tables, is evidence of the wearisome way in which Warriors have played in recent years.
Which is why Ruddock was brought in and why several small aircraft have been filled with money and dispatched to New Zealand.
Perhaps matches as thrilling as Saturday's and the end of the World Cup will bring back the disillusioned and distracted floating supporters.
Certainly they would be well advised to give the new regime a look because the Worcester of old would not have been able to chase down a 14-point deficit inside the last ten minutes. This was the sort of game they would have lost bravely last season.
What was more remarkable, particularly after last week's fumbleathon at The Rec, was the fact Ruddock's side came back with some scintillating rugby.
Shane Drahm, back at full back to such good effect he might have inflicted terminal damage on his desire to play fly half, was at his creative best, popping up at seemingly every ruck to direct operations.
He created two tries and might have accounted for many more with his sweeping passing and intelligent kicking.
Indeed as much as Feaunati and Horstmann should have their backs slapped for claiming the two critical scores, they would have been valueless without Drahm's majestic conversions. Not once but twice the 30-year-old belted touchline goals as though he were shelling peas.
Feaunati's role should not be understated, however. The Samoan has had a wretched time since moving from London Irish midway through last season.
He arrived at Worcester overweight and unfit and was afforded just two substitute appearances for his pains. Deservedly so.
But having worked like a pit pony during the off-season he looks set to flourish under Ruddock's regime and - until Sam Tuitupou arrives at least, could be the answer to the troublesome inside centre berth.
Aside from his 75th-minute try, which came by virtue of a juddering hand off on Dominic Waldouck, he took the ball up well and even found enough composure to take three men out and flip up the off load of the game.
If he'd been on from the start, instead of after an hour, Worcester might have been able to turn possession into prize.
That said they started at a canter as Drahm took just three minutes to chip over the blitz defence and arrow a perfect miss-pass that gave Marcel Garvey the sideline. His finish - kick ahead and won chase, was classy and probably the game's most outstanding individual incident.
But when Wasps set the scoreboard ticking quarter of an hour, they kept it moving for the next 40 minutes.
Tries from Pat Barnard, converted by Danny Cipriani, and James Haskell, whose feud with Pat Sanderson was one of the afternoon's running story lines, and four penalties gave the visitors what should have been an unassailable lead.
The introduction of Feaunati and Gavin Quinnell gave Worcester the go-forward they need and with Drahm orchestrating behind sent Horstmann over in the 70th minute.
Five minutes later a break by Thinus Delport gave Feaunati the room to shunt his way over the line and send Sixways into raptures. Imagine what it'll be like when they win.
WORCESTER: Drahm; Delport, Rasmussen, Tucker (Feaunati, 58), Garvey; Brown, M Powell (R Powell, 54); Morris, Fortey (Gotting, 65), Taumoepeau (Windo, 65), Murphy, Gillies (Bowley, 59), Wood (Quinnell, 54), Sanderson, Horstmann. Replacement: Pennell.
WASPS: Cipriani; Voyce, Waters, Flutey, Waldouck; Walder, McMillan (Amor 70); Payne (French, 63), Ward (Buckland, 63), B Barnard (Holford, 40), Birkett, Palmer, Hart, Skivington, Haskell. Replacements: Ellis, Bishay, Van Gisbergen. Referee: R Debney (RFU).
