Relegation fear grows as Care punishes Carnegie

Leeds, somehow, can still avoid relegation from the Aviva Premiership, though, on the evidence of the last two results, they do not deserve to.

A thrashing at the hands of Wasps last week was a feat repeated by Harlequins at sunny Headingley yesterday.

On a day when Leeds’s glories of the past were played on the big screen and the stars of stellar campaigns that brought Heineken Cup qualification and a Powergen Cup triumph were introduced to the crowd beforehand, the gory details of the present were laid bare for all to see.

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The fight and determination that was evident in a run of three wins in five games that pulled them back from 11 points adrift of Newcastle to a one-point advantage, has been ripped from them by two matches in which they have conceded a combined 89 points and 12 tries.

Never the most dynamic of attacking forces, they make up for their lack of guile with heart and determination, but even that now appears melted by the Spring sunshine.

That do-or-die win at Newcastle is looking more and more like a false dawn.

Harlequins, inspired by a very professional Leeds-born Danny Care, were a cut above.

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The former Tykes scrum-half began proceedings with an early try and there were further scores for Joe Gray, Jordan Turner-Hall, Nick Easter and Mike Brown.

So survival watch switches back to Kingston Park next Saturday as Newcastle play their game in hand over Bath.

The Falcons also meet Bath on the final day of the season, when tensions will be raw at both Franklins Gardens and the Rec.

The bottom line for Leeds is they must get something from the trip to Northampton on May 7 and hope Newcastle register no points from their two games with Bath.

Otherwise, it will be a third relegation in six years.

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The return of captain Marco Wentzel had initially boosted Leeds.

The South Africa-born captain had been carrying a calf injury for much of the past month and made a welcome start after missing the last two matches.

His lineout was immediately under pressure from the inventive Quins, with Gray throwing deep for Chris Robshaw to set Gonzalo Camacho scampering clear.

But the backs-to-the-wall defence held firm, with Kearnan Myall to the fore. He stopped the first phase by snaffling the ball at the breakdown, then after another spell of sustained pressure, the Sale-bound flanker denied George Lowe a try with a flying tackle.

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But it was merely delaying the inevitable. Livewire Care had been the heartbeat of the Quins offence and it was he who got the opening try, exchanging passes with Nick Easter and then chipping Christian Lewis-Pratt to set up a foot race with Lachlan MacKay that the former Sheffield Wednesday football trainee was never going to lose.

It was not so much the score at this stage that was worrying, more the fact that Leeds had yet to ventured into the visitors’ half.

The scoreboard did though take on a worrying complexion on 22 minutes when Quins galloped through the Leeds rearguard like a hot knife through butter to score their second try.

George Robshaw penetrated the gainline, fed Nick Evans who in-turn played an inside pass to Gray who crashed over the line.

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Evans was lethal with his two conversions while his opposite number Adrian Jarvis – his head in bandages after an early collision and spell in the blood bin – missed his first two penalty attempts.

The Yorkshire club at last broke into the opposition 22 on 35 minutes; Henry Fa’afili the driving force, but as the ball was moved from left to right it was quickly turned over by the Quins defence.

Their first threat came from a surging run from No 8 Rhys Oakley, and after forcing a penalty, Steve Thompson almost had a try before the move broke down when Scott Mathie had the ball stripped from his possession.

MacKay was also guilty of handling errors inside the red zone.

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The first score of the second half would be vital and with Thompson replaced at half-time with a knee injury and Wentzel surrendering to wear and tear moments later, it was clear that Leeds’s task would be made harder.

Harlequins duly got that score with Care feeding Camacho who in turn released Jordan Turner-Hall to power over.

Another burst from MacKay created a penalty that Lewis-Pratt notched to belatedly get them on the scoreboard, but it was tries Leeds needed, not penalties.

From another penalty won inside Harlequins territory, Leeds again opted to kick the points but Lewis-Pratt struck a post.

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Care continued to show little sympathy with his hometown team’s plight as he ruthlessly drilled a drop-goal between the posts from outside the 22.

And then Easter galloped between the posts unopposed to end any brief hopes of resistance.

Mike Brown completed the rout with a 65-metre interception try.

Leeds Carnegie: Lewis-Pratt, Blackett, Fa’afili, Mackay, Stephenson, Jarvis (Barrow 69), Mathie (White 69); Hardy (MacDonald 30), Thompson (Nilsen 40), Swainston (Denman 63), Browne (Paul 56), Wentzel (To’oala 43), Myall, Fourie, Oakley. Unused replacements: Wackett.

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Harlequins: Brown, Camacho, Lowe, Turner-Hall, Monye (Chisholm 63), Evans (Clegg 63), Care (Skinner 67); Marler (Jones 56), Gray (Cairns 56), Johnston (Lambert 56), Kohn (Vallejos 59), Robson, Fa’asavalu, Robshaw (Moore 67), Easter.

Referee: M Fox (RFU).

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