Defeat by Leeds was all the more sickening because the second half was a complete reversal of the first, and the performance worrying because both the scrum and the lineout flailed horribly – leading to a penalty count unfortunately all too-high. 

The opening exchanges were not without promise, and there seemed to be a greater commitment to running the ball than we have seen this year. One nice move saw Neil de Kock burst through on a short ball from Brits at the lineout, but he was forced into touch. The first half-hour was confident, if not spell-binding, and it only seemed to matter that Derick Hougaard kept the scoreboard ticking over meticulously.  

Leeds were not without adventure, and a break by the wing Fa’afili appeared ominous, but Saracens defence seemed to be equal to it. The momentum began to shift going into the break when Leeds’ formidable front-row began to exert pressure and pick up penalties as a result. Replacement fly-half Joe Ford missed as many as he kicked, meaning Saracens still went in six points up. 

After half time the teams traded a couple of early penalties, before the complete disintegration of the Saracens scrum saw them increasingly pinged back. A triple substitution on fifty-three minutes brought little stability (with Rhys Gill penalised in Leeds’ half) before a huge effort from Leeds in front of the Saracens’ posts saw the ball turned over. 

Leeds’ confidence grew as Ford began to eat away at the gap and Leigh Hinton counter-attacked. Their swashbuckling forwards finally made room just before the hour for wing Lee Blackett to scoot over from close range, giving them the lead for the first time. 

Events began to get farcical when the two hookers were binned for handbags just five minutes later after another collapsed scrum. Saracens were not able to bring on Reynecke and Justin Marshall proved surprisingly underwhelming throwing-in.  

The ‘Yorkshire’ fans (a proud race, not as well-know for their even-handedness or respect for authority as for their bitter) delighted at what they saw as an overturning of the referee’s conspiratorial favouritism towards the Londoners in the last quarter, and though not quite satisfied by the man in the middle, they were able to see Ford boot them seven points clear with a Hougaard-esque drop goal.  

Saracens attempts to regain the initiative simply faded away in a series of turnovers and knock-ons, not least because of the passionate competitiveness of the Leeds forwards. The visitors had been given a real lesson in both the set-piece and the loose, which was ultimately where the game was won. 

Having been a Leeds season ticket holder the last time they were in the premiership – consolation for academic exile from London – it is fair to say that they are a better team than when they were relegated. There is the same old application of the rolling maul, the support of breakthroughs and the determined clearing out of rucks. More accuracy with the boot would have made the margin more like twenty points than the bonus-point saving seven that the game ended with.  

There is quality spread more broadly across the pitch, more experience of premiership rugby and today, the opportunity to get off the bottom of the table provided a much stronger motivation to win than in seasons past. Venter’s prediction that they will stay up would not be bad for the league.  

But Saracens, with five games of the regular season remaining, seem worried at the prospect of disintegration. Next week’s semi-final could prove cathartic – a chance to rediscover some of the pride and hunger of 2009 and hopefully not a miserable 2010. 

Leeds: Hinton; Fa'afili, Rabeni, Barrow (Hepworth, 59) Blackett; Thomas (Ford, 24), Mathie; MacDonald, Titterrell, Gomez (Swainston, 55), Lund, Wentzel (capt), Myall (Clark, 53), Fourie, Oakley (To'oala, 55). 

Try Blackett. Con Ford. Pens Ford 3. Drop goal Ford. 

Sin-bin Titterrell, 63. 

Saracens: Goode; Penney (M Tagicakibau, 55), Ratuvou (Powell, 77), Barritt, Wyles; Hougaard, De Kock (Marshall, 64); Aguero (Gill, 52), Brits (Reynecke, 77), Skuse (Mercey, 75), Smith, Ryder (Botha, 52), Van Heerden (capt), Burger, Melck (Joubert, 52). 

Pens Hougaard 2. Drop goals Hougaard 2. 

Sin-bin Brits, 63. 

Referee D Richards (London).

Attendance 4,301.

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