WORCESTER'S never-say-die attitude has been praised by Wasps' coach Warren Gatland.

The European champions' director of rugby was impressed with the way the Warriors refused to buckle, despite their 32-17 Premiership defeat on Sunday.

"We had them on the ropes for a while and it looked like they were going to crack but they kept going," he said.

"I was really happy with that first 15 minutes, we played with pace and power but Worcester really hung in there.

"Most teams would have given up. I thought they might have started thinking about Northampton in a couple of weeks time but they didn't do that."

And Gatland believes that promotion and relegation should be kept in place.

He said: "Unless they are going to ring-fence it, which I don't think they are, they should keep promotion and relegation going as far as I am concerned.

"Whoever comes up you should let them up because there is a good chance they are going to go straight down again and that way you can protect yourselves," the New Zealander said although he did express sympathy for the unfortunate club, which could still be any one of five.

"Whoever goes down you feel sorry for because you win seven or eight games, nearly half your matches, in the championship and there is a chance you are going to get relegated. That is going to make it tough for whoever goes down."

And, after last night's European Shield clash at Headingley, scrum-half Matt Powell believes Worcester have the spirit to secure their top flight status next weekend.

Worcester take on Northampton in a relegation shoot-out and Powell believes the Warriors will show their fighting spirit.

"We are a very honest bunch at Worcester," said Powell. "I think that helps because we are very open with one another and there is a lot of trust between the players and the coaches.

"We have become a tight-knit group as the season has gone on and we're absolutely determined to stay in the Premiership.

"Nobody is thinking about anything else and we know we've beaten Northampton already this season so there's no doubt that we can win next Saturday."