Leeds assumed top spot with a 57-point dismantling of Manchester last week, a victory that owed much to the energy and enthusiasm of four young players, three of whom were making their debuts.

Scrum-half Dan White, 19, full-back Pete Wackett, 20, and prop Scott Freer, 20, each put in performances that suggest their first involvement in Leeds's push for an instant return to the Premiership would not be their last, while second row Tom Denton further enhanced his reputation a month after making his bow.

And while each of the homegrown prospects knows regular starting places may be beyond them in an increasingly competitive squad, director of rugby Key is delighted he has academy players to fall back on to give the more experienced senior players a rest when required.

"It was just a case of waiting for the opportunity to expose these young guys," said Key, who announced on his arrival at the club in June that he and head coach Neil Back would make the integration of academy players into the first team one of their priorities.

"The first thing we wanted to do was to really strengthen the conditioning part of the squad, and to do that you have to rest players and pull them out. That gives you the opportunity to blood those young guys in a competition that is really strong.

"Through the season there are periods that we've marked which will give us chance to rest and condition those senior players and at the same time dip into some of those younger players and see if they can cope with that pressure.

"It was no surprise to us what these guys could do because they've already done it in pre-season.

"Peter (Wackett) had a very good pre-season. At the weekend we saw what he can do (he scored two tries) and what his potential is.

"Scott Freer provided lots of evidence in recent A-team games that he's a physical boy, he carries the ball and he's good from the point of view of his lineout percentages.

"The academy system is set up to produce outstanding talent that we can bring into the first team and start to develop for future regular first-team games.

"Already it's provided four to six players who we are confident will do the job when we ask them to do so."

Wackett, Freer, White and Denton will become familiar names over the coming months, further underlining the strength of an academy which encouraged Key to leave a similarly strong set-up at Leicester.

"Leeds have produced international players, and on a par with other licenced academies it's right up there at the top," he said.

"It's healthy that we've got four to six guys that are spending quality time with the first team in training, and, through the loan arrangements we have with other clubs around us, they are getting lots of good senior, first-team rugby exposure, and that can only bode well for the future."

The quartet is unlikely to featurein its entirety at sixth-place London Welsh today, a side Key acknowledges will be eager to knock Leeds off their perch.

Key and Back have a full-strength squad to choose from, minus only Vili Ma'asi, but bolstered by the return to training of Lee Blackett and Jason Strange.

"London Welsh play very expansive and exciting rugby," added Key.

"They have become a full-time professional outfit this season and we know from our own experience that that makes a player stronger and more capable of competing for 80 minutes.

"It would be a big scalp for them and that makes it a big challenge for us, but we are confident."