Prop Gavin Kerr charged an unlikely 40 metres for the glory try as Leeds added
triple champions Leicester to their list of Premiership scalps.
Tigers were massively under strength and simply could not cope with a Leeds
side that opened with an amazing burst of points and survived a rocky period to
finish Leicester off 13 minutes from time when Kerr took Dan Scarborough's pass
and outpaced the visitors defence.
Watching England skipper Martin Johnson saw Leicester surge forward trying to
rescue something from the game.
But though Josh Kronfeld crossed after Leeds had been reduced to 14 men,
Scarborough finished off a length-of-the-field breakaway effort to secure a
vital bonus point and send the title favourites to only their second defeat of
the season.
For all their dominance of the domestic game, even Leicester struggle when
they lose 12 players to a combination of international calls and injury.
But they still could not have been prepared for the whirlwind they walked into
as the game kicked off. With just nine minutes on the clock, the Heineken Cup
holders were 17-0 down, their defences completely ripped apart by a rampant
Tykes side cheered on by the biggest crowd in their history.
Leeds full-back Jon Benson opened their account with a 35-metre penalty,
before Tristan Davies and Craig Emmerson combined to send Tom Palmer sprinting
to the line for his first try of the season.
Scotland back-row Cameron Mather set up the next with a 35metre dart
downfield, supported by Scott Benton. From the right touchline, Leeds switched
the ball across field and Dan Hyde exploited the overlap to send Emmerson over
from close range.
Benson converted both efforts, to leave the home fans staring at a scoreboard
which was almost too good to be true.
And so it proved as Leicester gradually gained a foothold in the contest, with
Tim Stimpson and Steve Booth looking particularly dangerous breaking from deep.
Stimpson pulled the Tigers into it with a couple of penalties, but crucially
missed from halfway just before the interval when a third successive would have
left the Tykes wobbling.
George Chuter thought he had scored for Leicester when he followed up a
successful chargedown of Stephen Bachop's clearance kick but referee John
Barnard ruled Louis Deacon had knocked on as he initially attempted to gather
the loose ball.
In the ensuing melee, Benton was submerged under a sea of bodies, suffering
damage to his chest which eventually saw the England international stretchered
off.
Leon Lloyd made a welcome comeback from injury when he replaced Jim Naylor at
the interval, but his first action, petulantly throwing the ball at Dan Hyde,
could have made his return a brief one.
Stimpson struck an upright with his first penalty chance of the second period,
before Benson extended Leeds' advantage with a 20metre shot at the other end.
However, Stimpson replied almost immediately and Tykes' hopes took a
significant turn for the worse when Bachop limped off, leaving Dan Parks to take
over at stand-off in a completely new half-back partnership with John O'Reilly.
Stimpson missed again on the hour, and as the Tykes countered, Parks produced
a snap drop-goal which edged his team 14 points clear.
Benson converted Kerr's amazing effort but Leeds were left to play the last 10
minutes a man down after Hyde was sin-binned for a professional foul.
Kronfeld took immediate advantage by grabbing Leicester's first try, but
though the visitors poured forward in a desperate search for points, Leeds had
the final say with a thrilling breakaway try which involved three men before
Scarborough took the final pass and dived gleefully under the posts.
Teams
Leeds: Benson, Scarborough, Davies, Mackay, Emmerson, Bachop,
Benton, Shelley, Holt, Kerr, C. Murphy, Palmer, Mather, Hyde,
Fea'unati.
Replacements: Parks for Bachop (54), O'Reilly for Benton (38),
Rawlinson for Holt (68), Jones for C. Murphy (67),
Hogg for Fea'unati (74).
Not Used: Fullman, Mayer.
Sin Bin: Hyde (70).
Tries: Palmer, Emmerson, Kerr, Scarborough.
Cons: Benson 4.
Pens: Benson 2.
Drop Goals: Parks.
Leicester: Stimpson, Booth,
Smith, Gelderbloom, Naylor, Kafer,
J. Hamilton, Jelley, Chuter, Garforth, Manson-Bishop, Deacon,
W. Johnson, Kronfeld, Short.
Replacements: Lloyd for Naylor (42),
Ellis for J. Hamilton (72), Freshwater for Jelley (55),
Cockerill for Chuter (72), Balding for Manson-Bishop (56).
Not Used: J. Hamilton, Nebbett.
Tries: Kronfeld.
Cons: Stimpson.
Pens: Stimpson 3.
Att: 7,162
Ref: John Barnard (RFU).
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