Slowly but surely, Harlequins are picking themselves up after their miserable summer scarred by “Bloodgate”. Having lost their first three Guinness Premiership games after that fiasco, they have suffered only one defeat in their past seven league matches.
For most of a gripping game, they had the edge over a dogged Leeds Carnegie side, who remain bottom of the table while Harlequins have risen to sixth.
Both sides scored three tries, including two for Harlequins from Chris Robshaw, but the boot of Nick Evans kept the visiting team’s noses in front.
Leeds had made a racing start when Richard Welding opened the scoring in the sixth minute. Scott Barrow, the inside centre, spotted a gaping hole in the Harlequins midfield, Welding arrived in support and Erik Lund was stopped just short. The ball was swiftly recycled and Welding was on hand once again to crowbar his way between two tacklers by the posts.
Their bubble was burst shortly after by Robshaw’s first try. Nick Easter soared at the tail of the lineout and Robshaw was driven over.
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Joe Ford pulled Leeds level at 10-10 with his first penalty goal, but a moment of lost concentration cost the home side dearly. Several Leeds players felt that George Lowe, the Harlequins wing, had been in touch when he caught a kick on the left, but he was allowed to take a quick throw to Evans, who put up a high kick of his own.
Whether he was distracted by the protests from his team-mates and the catcalls from the crowd, Leigh Hinton allowed the ball to land on his own 22. The bounce was unforgiving to the Leeds full back, falling obligingly for Lowe, of all people, who had only to collect and canter over the line.
Leeds were given a chance to reassert themselves when Danny Care, the England scrum half, was sent to the sin-bin in the 35th minute after upending Rhys Oakley after play had stopped. But in his absence, Leeds could add only a penalty goal by Ford and they conceded another try to Robshaw. Evans’s burst gave Harlequins momentum and the flanker scored from short range, the conversion giving his side a 24-13 lead at half-time.
It seemed as though Harlequins were edging away, especially when Evans kicked two more penalty goals. But Leeds surged back with two tries in seven minutes, both from the lineout, to come within three points. Kearnan Myall peeled off on the blindside and rolled over in the tackle to score, then Tom Denton was driven over.
From the final move of the game, Seru Rabeni’s midfield charge gave Leeds a prime attacking platform, but Harlequins’ gritty defence drove them back until the chance, and the game, had gone.
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Scorers: Leeds Carnegie: Tries: Welding (6min), Myall (52), Denton (59). Conversions: Ford 3. Penalty goals: Ford 2 (23, 38). Harlequins: Tries: Robshaw 2 (14, 40+2), Lowe (25). Conversions: Evans 3. Penalty goals: Evans 3 (9, 47, 55).
Scoring sequence (Leeds first): 7-0, 7-3, 7-10, 10-10, 10-17, 13-17, 13-24 (half-time), 13-27, 20-27, 20-30, 27-30.
Leeds Carnegie: L Hinton; R Welding, S Rabeni, S Barrow (rep: J Hepworth, 33), L Blackett; J Ford, A Gomarsall (rep: S Mathie, 55); G Hardy (rep: M MacDonald, 53), V Ma’asi (rep: P Nilsen, 53), J G?mez (rep: T McGee, 69), E Lund, M Wentzel, K Myall, C Clark, R Oakley (rep: T Denton, 53).
Harlequins: T Williams; D Strettle, N Mordt, G Tiesi, G Lowe; N Evans, D Care (sin-bin, 35-40+6); C Jones, T Fuga (rep: C Brooker, 69), J Andress (rep: M Lambert, 59), J Percival (rep: L Stevenson, 69), G Robson, T Guest (rep: W Skinner, 59), C Robshaw, N Easter.
Referee: S Davey.
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Attendance: 5,090.