Wasps 51 Leeds Carnegie 18: Back plea for county to support relegation battlers

With just two games remaining time is fast running out for Leeds, who yesterday never looked like hauling themselves off the foot of the table.

Instead they remain level on points with Newcastle, who have a game in hand, and with the pressure mounting Back is hoping for a packed Headingley in next weekend’s crucial encounter.

“Next Sunday is a must-win game, we won’t play as badly again and we need the whole of Yorkshire to come down and support us,” said Back, whose side’s last Headingley appearance, a win over Exeter, was witnessed by just over 4,000 people.

“Newcastle have three games to go to our two so if they win at home next Friday night it will be a huge blow.”

Leeds were simply blown away by the pace of Wasps’ backs with Joe Simpson and Richard Haughton picking up two tries each while David Walder, on his last appearance at Adams Park, kicked 14 points.

A young Wasps side were without the likes of Andy Powell, Serge Betsen and David Lemi but they produced a much-improved performance to record only their second win in 10 games.

Leeds had won their previous two games, including a narrow win over Newcastle last Saturday, but yesterday’s defeat served to take the steam out of their recent resurgence.

“We came here with absolute confidence and we thought our recent form would give us the edge and nobody would have predicted that scoreline,” Back said.

“The squad feel they’ve let everyone at the club down but that performance was not a reflection of how they’ve been playing, we normally tough it out and it’s only in four or five games that we haven’t deserved anything.”

The West Yorkshire club’s final fixture is at flying Northampton so next weekend’s home game against Harlequins is almost certainly a must win.

Leeds competed well in the early stages but as the game wore on they had no answer to the pace and skills of Haughton and Simpson.

Wasps were ahead within three minutes. Luther Burrell lost possession of the ball in a tackle allowing Haughton to kick ahead, Simpson did likewise and then followed up to win the race for the touchdown. Walder made a hash of his conversion attempt.

Five minutes later and Leeds were on the scoresheet when Adrian Jarvis kicked a simple penalty after the visitors had exerted some pressure in the Wasps 22.

The opening quarter was evenly contested with Wasps being the more penetrative side but too often they lost possession at key moments as the Carnegie forwards with Steve Thompson and Hendre Fourie were able to steal ball at the maul area and put the home scrum under considerable pressure.

Wasps continued to threaten and after a fine pick up from young centre, Elliot Daly, a second try looked likely but Michael Stephenson prevented them from doing so by killing the ball near the Leeds line.

He received a yellow card and Walder kicked the resulting penalty to make it 8-3 after 31 minutes.

Back came Carnegie and Jarvis reduced the arrears with a 30-metre penalty but that success was soon nullified when Walder fired over a penalty from 40 minutes.

Just before half-time Wasps got their second try when Walder kicked ahead for Haughton to squeeze in at the corner for the score which Walder was unable to convert.

Stephenson returned early in the second half but it was Wasps who extended their lead when once again the visitors gifted them a score. Leeds carelessly lost possession in the tackle in their own half, Ben Broster hacked on and Haughton was on hand to cleverly pick up the ball and score the try which Walder converted.

After 53 minutes Wasps sealed victory with their fourth try of the game when replacement hooker Joe Ward drove over from close range and then almost immediately Simpson scored the try of the game when he raced away from the Leeds defence after receiving the ball from a lineout on halfway.Walder converted both tries and the visitors were in deep trouble 37-6 down. With the game won, Wasps relaxed allowing Rhys Oakley a try converted by Jarvis.

But the home side emphasised their superiority when replacements Billy Vunipola and Zak Taulafo both battered their way over for late tries, both converted, before Christian Lewis-Pratt picked up a consolation try for Carnegie with a strong running solo effort.

Wasps interim director Leon Holden said: “The season hasn’t gone spectacularly well but if we can win our next two games then we can rescue the situation.”

Wasps: van Gisbergen, Haughton, Daly (Jewell 64), Flutey, Wallace, Walder (Atkinson 75), Simpson (Holmes 71); Payne (Taulafo 51), Lindsay (Ward 49), Broster (Baker 71), Shaw (Cannon 72), Launchbury, Hart, Jones (Vunipola 56), Ward-Smith.

Leeds Carnegie: Stephenson, Blackett (Lewis-Pratt 77), Fa’afili, Burrell, Wackett, Jarvis, Mathie (White 60); Hardy, Thompson (Nilsen 57), Gomez (Swainston 30), Browne (Denton 67), Hohneck (Oakley 55), Myall, Fourie, Paul. Unused replacements: Denman, MacKay.

Referee: D Rose (RFU).