Leeds Carnegie 13 London Welsh 26: Further work needed after Leeds find the going tough

Leeds Carnegie worked hard for each other, made the occasional spirited break and at times looked a coherent unit. But the harsh reality was only ever a misplaced pass or shirked tackle away against opponents who proved far too savvy for them.

Only this was nOt London Irish and the best division in European rugby, this was a hardened London Welsh and tough baptism to life back in the Championship.

Promotion from a 22-game regular season and a 10-game play-off schedule is not earned in week one, but markers can be put down, ominous warnings can be sent to the rest of the league.

The only thing escaping on the buses back down the M1 to London was news that Leeds Carnegie are there for the taking.

That this yo-yo club moulded on the youthful, enterprising rugby of their new head coach Diccon Edwards, have much to learn about life on the merciless battlegrounds of second-tier rugby.

An instant return to the Premiership will not be the formality many had expected at Leeds, not on the evidence of this men against boys exercise.

The division has changed shape from the 16-team stroll of three years ago, to a more chiselled, professional 12-team challenge.

Leeds, with six debutants in their starting XV and a youthful half-back partnership in Joe Ford, 21, and Craig Hampson, 20, are in for some tough weeks, though Edwards has already moved to strengthen his creative department.

“We’ve signed Robbie Shaw, a 28-year-old scrum-half who played in the Championship with Bristol last year and has international experience with the United States,” said the head coach.

“He is physical and offers us a running threat.”

On the result, Edwards said: “Obviously we’re disappointed to lose. But we are going to try and draw on the positives.

“The fact that nine of the 15 that finished were Academy products shows where this club wants to go.

“But we have a lot of work to do. We tried to play rugby in our own half and they picked up on our errors. We cannot make the same amount of errors.”

Edwards named six new signings in the starting XV plus two more on the bench while visiting Welsh named former Leeds fly-half Gordon Ross at No 10.

Within four minutes Ross had given Welsh a 6-0 lead after an indisciplined opening from the Leeds pack handed the former Scotland international two kicks at goal.

Ford had the opportunity to reduce the deficit after a break from Stevie McColl had resulted in the jet-heeled Curtis Wilson being stopped illegally, but the returning fly-half was off target.

Wilson was then called upon at the other end to prevent Will Hurrell latching onto Simon Whatling’s grubber into the corner. Ford was more accurate on 27 minutes when he registered Leeds’s first points.

Away from the haphazard nature of the set-piece Wilson was the man to quicken the pulse with his lightning raids down the left flank.

Admirably, Leeds were trying to run the ball and work it through the backs, yet all the work was done in their own half. And when those moves broke down, Welsh had only a few yards of territory to make up before they scored, as they did on the cusp of half-time when Hurrell burst through unopposed and fed Edd Thrower, who in turn released Liam Gibson to dive over in the corner.

Ross added the extras from the touchline and despite dominating the ball, Leeds had created little and gift-wrapped 13 points.

Ross kicked two more penalties, to Ford’s one as Welsh strengthened their hold at the start of the second period.

Iain Thornley, the first player to arrive on a dual-registration from Sale, showed nifty-footwork, but as ever the promise was only fleeting and on the hour Whatling was afforded too much space to scamper through. Then from inside his own territory Ryan Burrows scored a superb try, dancing through to alleviate the pain.

They ended the game camped on Welsh’s tryline, showing at least they have the fitness to challenge for 80 minutes, yet the scoreboard offered one last echo of the Premiership era; no losing bonus point and Leeds well beaten.

Leeds Carnegie: McColl, Blackett, Richards (Thornley 50), Barrow (Barker 65), Wilson, Ford, Hampson (White 70); Denman, Titterrell (Nilsen 54), Young (Swainston 61), Denton (Hemingway 61, Hohneck, Pendlebury (Beck 50), Rowan, Burrows.

London Welsh: Thrower, Hurrell, Mackey, Whatling (J Lewis 74), Gibson, Ross, R Lewis (Winter-Moates 65); Tideswell, George (Moss 58), Bateman (Ma’asi 58), Johnson, Corker (Brown 69), Mills (Beach 70), Denbee, Jackson. Unused replacements: Davies.

Referee: D Gamage (RFU).