Beat as before and drive back (7)
I believe the answer is:
repulse
'drive back' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'beat as before' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'beat' could be 'pulse' (synonyms) and 'pulse' is present in the answer.
The remaining letters 're' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This explanation may well be incorrect...
'and' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for repulse that I've seen before include "Drive back by force" , "Check" , "Rudely reject" , "Be disgusting - drive back" , "Battlecruiser" .)