Leeds remain unbeaten after four league games and stay in second place behind Bedford, top on points difference. Rotherham, meanwhile, who fought back impressively in the second half to cut Leeds's lead to one point and then three, have fallen to second-from-bottom, so following four consecutive losses, the Titans appear to be in some trouble early in the season.

Leeds out-scored Rotherham by six tries to two and can be highly satisfied to have claimed four successive victories – but the manner in which they stumbled midway through the second half should be of concern.

Leeds' success amounted to a personal triumph for the former Rotherham flanker Hendre Fourie, now in his second season at Headingley Carnegie.

The powerful South African forward scored Leeds's second try on 38 minutes and then added his second on 68 – an important score because it effectively killed Rotherham's rousing revival.

With fly-half Alberto di Bernardo kicking the third of his fourth conversions, Leeds stretched their advantage to
34-24.

Rotherham, behind 17-6 at the interval, had failed to threaten Leeds territory in the first half and had thrown away the few promising positions they created.

However, midway through the second half, the forwards exploded and collectively the Titans revealed high levels of aggression and wholehearted commitment.

Surprisingly, in only two minutes, the complexion of the contest changed dramatically, and given their response and fighting spirit, Rotherham's optimism that they can survive and indeed prosper in National One, may be justified.

As against Doncaster, centre Chris Briers produced a thrilling try on 53 minutes.

Briers' ability to spot and shoot through gaps in defence is remarkable.

His score reduced Leeds's lead to 22-14, but almost immediately the Headingley team were embarrassed once more as the Titans scored again.

Replacement scrum-half Neil Chivers, exploiting the excellent work by Rotherham's pack on the Leeds line, dived over – and with fly-half Tom Barlow converting, Rotherham were suddenly only one point adrift at
22-21.

The Titans' coherence and attitude seriously threatened to cause an upset.

Whether it was complacency or a loss of concentration, as a unit Leeds were being knocked off course by a team that for the first time this season began to show some self-belief.

The drama heightened in the 64th minute when Rotherham's recovery gathered momentum again. On this occasion Barlow's fourth penalty boosted morale. His kick produced a scoreline of 27-24 with time remaining for Rotherham to improve.

However, Leeds's superior strength in the pack and the speed of centre Jonny Hepworth rapidly stopped Rotherham's revival.

Two brilliant breaks by Hepworth, both of 40 metres, slashed Rotherham's defence to set up the fifth and sixth tries. Fourie crashed over for his second and following Hepworth's second devastating run, replacement winger Scott Armstrong touched down for his second try.

Just as Rotherham's fightback deserved praise, so should the counter attacks by Leeds which were manufactured when they faced a mini-crisis.

The three tries by prop Mike MacDonald, Fourie and Armstrong, two of which were converted, amassed 19 points in 15 minutes – a scoring spree that cruelly killed Rotherham who were unfortunate to end the encounter with no league points. But the Titans will continue to lose matches if they turn over ball at lineouts and their defence fails at crucial periods of a game.

Fourie admitted afterwards that Leeds had been forced to work hard for their victory on his return to Clifton Lane.

"We made it difficult for ourselves and if we played our game plan it would have been much easier for us," he said.

"Credit to Rotherham, they came back very well and we didn't have an answer. Their fightback didn't surprise me because I know Rotherham play with fire at home.

"But we've got four wins out of four – you can't start better than that."

As for Rotherham, skipper Michael Whitehead said: "The scoreline is harsh, but they concentrated for 80 minutes and we did for 65 and you have to focus for every minute of every game against the top sides."

Rotherham Titans: Whitehead, Feeley, Hunt (Allen 73), Briers, Claassens, Barlow, Erskine (Chivers 50), Corsar, Horn, Prescott, Challinor, Raven (McGowan), Burrows, Du Plessis, Skurr.

Leeds Carnegie: Hinton, Welding (Armstrong 43), Hepworth, Barrow (Brooks 70), Biggs, Di Bernardo, Bedford (Mathie 54), MacDonald, Rawlinson, McGee, Murphy (Lund 57), Pendlebury, Dunbar (Pau 57), Fourie, Oakley.

Referee: C Sharp (RFU).