WASPS battled their way to another five-point win when they dismissed the fighting pack of Worcester on Sunday.
Tries by Raphael Ibanez, Tom Voyce, Joe Worsley and Tim Payne gave Wasps the win against a side whose forwards were keen to demonstrate their prowess.
Warriors came looking to stamp their authority on the game with driving mauls and a strong scrum but it was Wasps who drew first blood when a series of drives saw Raphael Ibanez pushed over for his third try in two games.
Mark van Gisbergen added the extras to make it 28 kicks in a row and Wasps were looking good.
But Worcester reminded them why their pack is feared when, from a line-out, Pat Sanderson was driven over.
Shane Drahm looked to have missed the conversion but it was given and Worcester drew level.
Worcester then looked to take the lead when they piled on the pressure in Wasps' 22, forcing a series of drives on the Wasps line, only for Matt Dawson to steal the ball and the danger was cleared.
Warriors maintained the pressure and they were helped by the referee preferring to penalise Wasps at the scrum, to the obvious anger of prop Tim Payne, who believed he was being punished unfairly.
It was from another transgression that Worcester took the lead when Drahm converted a penalty.
Wasps, who were the more adventurous, played a lot of the half on the back foot but they did manage a few breakaways and were looking at another one late on in the half, only for Voyce to be tackled without the ball.
Inexplicably, the referee gave a scrum to Worcester for a knock on and then tried to even it out by giving a ridiculous penalty to Wasps for crossing seconds later. That decision gave van Gisbergen the chance to break Jonny Wilkinson's record of 28 successful kicks in a row but his attempt went wide and Wasps went into the break 10-7 down.
It was Worcester who pressed at the start of the second half but the crucial first score went to Wasps. Stuart Abbott charged down a kick and hacked on. Jonny Hylton should have kicked the ball into touch but he fluffed it and Abbott was able to feed Voyce for the try.
Van Gisbergen nailed the conversion and showed he wasn't affected by the miss and added a couple of penalties to make it 20-10 to Wasps.
The Premiership champions then looked to have made the game safe when Joe Worsley burst through a couple of tackles to score under the posts, with Worcester's pack firmly on the back foot against Wasps less vaunted but just as deadly set of forwards.
And it was Wasps who were looking strong at the end as they went in search of the bonus point.
They thought they had it when James Brooks went over after a series of drives, only for play to be called back for a Wasps infringement.
And it was actually Worcester who got the next try when Nicolas Le Roux broke clear while Wasps stood around waiting for a whistle after scrum half Dawson had the ball kicked out of his hands.
That try put Worcester within a score of a draw but, fittingly, it was the Wasps forwards who had the last say when Payne was driven over.
Director of rugby Ian McGeechan said: "I was delighted with the score at the finish. Everybody respects Worcester's strength but we have a very effective pack and it was nice to make the point."
Wasps: Van Gisbergen, Sackey, Erinle, Abbott, Voyce (Waters 71), King (Brooks 69), M Dawson, Payne, Ibanez (Gotting 37), J Dawson (Bracken 71), Purdy, Birkett, Hart, Worsley, Lock (O'Connor 58).
Scorers: Tries - Ibanez, Voyce, Worsley, Payne; Cons - Van Gisbergen (four); Pens - Van Gisbergen (two).
Attendance: 8,720.
Referee: Sean Davey.
Wasps 34, Worcester 20
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