Northampton (3) 21
Tries: Hartley, Clarke Con: Reihana Pens: Reihana 3

Worcester (6) 13
Try: Lutui Con: Jones Pens: Jones 2

Carlos Spencer's prompting helped Saints fight back to secure victory

Promoted Northampton marked their first game back in the Premiership with a second-half revival to beat Worcester.

The hosts trailed 6-3 at the break, with Matthew Jones landing two penalties to one from Bruce Reihana.

Northampton levelled through a Reihana penalty before tries from Dylan Hartley and Jon Clarke helped them lead 18-6.

Aleki Lutui scored a converted try for Worcester to cut the gap to five but Reihana slotted his third penalty to deny the visitors a losing bonus point.

Worcester, without skipper Pat Sanderson because of a quad injury and winger Marcel Garvey with a hip problem, soaked up all the first half pressure.

606: DEBATE Nice to get a winning start but they come a lot harder than home to Worcester MW

And they led 6-3 at the interval as Jones, recruited from Welsh side the Ospreys, landed two penalties to one from Reihana.

Worcester lost flanker Tom Wood to the sin bin soon after the break and while Reihana slotted the penalty Northampton coach Jim Mallinder decided to introduce Hartley, the only Saints player in England manager Martin Johnson's full squad.

Hartley soon broke the deadlock and centre Clarke went in for their second try in the 66th minute

Worcester finally made an attacking impression as hooker Lutui scored in the 72nd minute but Reihana's third penalty secured a deserved victory for the hosts.

Northampton director of rugby Jim Mallinder:
"There's a lot of expectation and quite rightly so because it's a fantastic, rugby-loving city.

"I'm just delighted we could get off to a good start but we're certainly not going to get carried away because we know the next 21 games are going to be tough.

"We need to keep working at our set-piece. We were a little bit untidy in the line-out and at the base of the scrum, so that's an area we need to improve."

Worcester boss Mike Ruddock:
"We didn't really play. Northampton pressured us in the line-out, poured through and made things difficult for us.

"In the tackle too, they put a lot of pressure on us. We gave away a lot of penalties and we need to look at that closely.

"Obviously I've got some concerns over the interpretation of the directive at the tackle area. But, in fairness, Saints deserved the victory."

Northampton: Reihana; Ashton, Clarke, Downey, Lamont; Spencer, Dickson; Tonga'uiha, Shields, Murray, Fernandez Lobbe, Day, Best, S. Gray, Wilson.

Replacements: Foden for Dickson (79), Smith for Tonga'uiha (63), Hartley for Shields (49), Lord for Fernandez Lobbe (71), Hopley for Best (68).

Not Used: Myler, Ansbro.

Worcester: Latham; Gear, Rasmussen, Tuitupou, Benjamin; Jones, M Powell; Mullan, Lutui, Tuamoepeau, Rawlinson, Gillies, Talei, Wood, Horstmann.

Replacements: R Powell for M Powell (63), Bowley for Gillies (63), Collins for Wood (60).

Not Used: Horsman, Fortey, Crichton, Pennell.

Sin Bin: Wood (48).

Att: 13,094

Ref: Sean Davey (RFU).