Ability to adapt sees Leeds shape up well for play-offs

AN IMPRESSIVE goal-kicking performance from Tommy Bell saw Leeds Carnegie edge past one of the Championship’s leading clubs yesterday.

Prolific Bedford Blues arrived at Headingley as the competition’s leading scorers and sitting second in the table.

However, Leeds – well-organised and eventually managing the difficult conditions far better than their rivals – restricted their opponents’ opportunities to a bare minimum and dug out a deserved victory.

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Full-back Bell scored all the points, his seven penalties from eight attempts the best such kicking display from a Leeds player since Springbok Braam Van Straaten slotted nine to set a Premiership record against London Irish in 2002.

It was a Premiership referee – Dave Pearson – who came down hard on Bedford’s ill-discipline in the second half, eventually yellow-carding centre Brendan Burke in the 65th minute after persistent infringing.

The visitors struggled to cope with Leeds’s more direct approach in the second period – the hosts had trailed 11-6 at the break having spent much of the half on the back foot – and a change in tactic saw the West Yorkshire club secure the win which moves them up to fifth.

“We kicked too much ball away in the first half, like we did against London Scottish,” said coach Diccon Edwards, “But we got our mentality right at half-time and talked about our thought processes. We needed to put them under more pressure, carry the ball more, carry strongly and it was much better.

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“We had impact from our players off the bench and I was proud of the squad’s efforts again.

“But we’re getting into the habit of winning tight games now and that bodes well for the play-offs.”

Indeed, only leaders Bristol, with 15, have won more games than Leeds’s 12 as the season draws closer towards its conclusion and yesterday’s performance was a classy response to their last outing, a 25-20 loss at Plymouth.

Second-row pairing Tom Denton and Sean Hohneck were excellent in the line-out and loose respectively, while Leeds were bolstered by the return of captain Andy Titterrell following his six-week loan spell with Sale Sharks.

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Experienced lock Jon Pendlebury, back from injury, also made his first appearance since September coming off the bench to augment the home side’s industrious forward efforts in that second period.

The game had been delayed by 15 minutes after Bedford’s bus broke down en route to Headingley so it was perhaps no surprise the hosts started more brightly.

They managed to steal a line-out and also won a couple of penalties which scrum-half Will Cliff confidently took quickly as they tried to catch their opponents cold.

Such adventure did not pay immediate dividends – Scott Barrow knocked on as Leeds went wide in the pouring rain – but they did go ahead in the fifth minute following an excellent turnover.

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Bedford were subsequently caught offside and Bell slotted the first of his haul.

Visiting captain James Pritchard swiftly cancelled that out just four minutes later following their first real forage into Leeds territory and Jake Sharp added another huge effort soon after from just inside their half.

Bedford then scored the game’s only try in the 22nd minute but it was a fortuitous affair, Josh Bassett’s forced final pass to scorer Ian Vass clearly bouncing forward.

Sharp’s conversion attempt struck an upright and Bell reduced the deficit to just five points before the break only to see Sharp slot another penalty in the 45th minute.

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However, when Bedford No 8 Paul Tupai was caught pulling down a line-out jumper who was still in the air, Bell added the three points and signalled the start of Leeds’s pressure, which continued unabated until the end.

Penalties in the 51st, 55th and 63rd minute saw Leeds take the lead as Bedford struggled to clear the breakdown.

Excellent defence also meant the troubled visitors found themselves making more basic errors as that pressure increased.

Pearson eventually called out Pritchard as the penalties mounted but his side did not listen with Burke also yellow-carded.

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By the time he returned, Leeds had forged 21-17 ahead, Pritchard adding one further penalty in response, as the Yorkshiremen showed once more why, when it comes to the play-offs, not many sides will fancy taking them on.

Leeds Carnegie: Bell; Blackett, Thornley, Barrow, Lucock; Ford (Barker 56), Cilff; Denman (Lockwood 58), Titterrell (Freer 63), Young (Mustafa 53), Denton Pendlebury 71), Hohneck, Burrows, Beck, Rowan.

Bedford Blues: Pritchard; Kohler, Burke, Vass (Dodge 65, Bassett; Sharp, Liebenberg (Barrell 55); Walsh (Steenkamp 61), Cochrane, Boulton, Howard, Tomes (Veenendaal 57), Gillanders, Rae, Tupai (Fisher 62).

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