THERE may have been no Premiership action in the last week but Worcester's battle to escape relegation has suddenly become that much tougher.

Six days ago, most observers saw it as a contest between a buoyant Warriors side and a demoralised Northampton out-fit who were reeling from a run of four winless games.

We can only guess how the East Midlanders' Heineken Cup win over Biarritz last Sunday will affect their form in the league. But the overwhelming feeling is it will str-engthen the conviction they are good enough to compete amongst the top sides in Europe - let alone England.

Any thoughts Paul Grayson's side will be distracted by the prospect of silverware would appear to be wishful thinking and that is certainly the line coming out of the Warriors camp.

"If you are coaching a team, a win can't really be a hindrance, particularly a Euro-pean quarter-final," said director of rugby John Brain. "It is going to give a team a lift."

Those thoughts are shared by Brain's captain, Pat San-derson, who insists Warriors cannot rely on Northampton dropping points in the final three games.

"It is hard to see how them winning a game can be anything other than a positive," said Sanderson. "If they had lost, it would have only intensified the run they are on.

"It has given them a real boost and shows what a good side they are. There are no bad sides in this league."

What it probably also highlights is just how pressurised an environment it is at the foot of the table. The opposition on the European stage may be better but the stakes are not as high and a player with the mercurial talents of Carlos Spencer is given more freedom to express himself.

But for all the confidence they will take out of their win in San Sebastien, I still share the bookmakers' view that Worcester are favourites to beat the drop.

It is they who have their destiny in their own hands and they pulled off a fairly unlikely win themselves not so long ago - snatching victory from the jaws of defeat against Newcastle.

That win has put Brain's side in the driving seat going into tomorrow's clash with Bristol but they can ill-afford to hand the initiative back to Northampton.

"Our destiny is in our own hands and it's a case of us performing well at the weekend and winning the match and that's what we have to do," said Brain. "I couldn't care what the mood is in North-ampton's camp."

A win of any sort would mean Northampton go into their match with Newcastle at Kingston Park on Sunday at least five points adrift at the bottom of the table. For a team who have been above the cut-off point for almost the whole season - that is a huge amount of pressure to deal with.

In short, Worcester hold the key to this intense and intriguing battle. Beating Bristol won't guarantee survival but it will go a long way to unsettling their rivals and ensure they hold on to the initiative.