Neil Back admits he will start planning for life in the Championship if Leeds fail to beat Newcastle Falcons on Saturday.
Carnegie coach calls for monumental effort at Kingston Park
Leeds Carnegie head coach Neil Back admits he will start planning for life in the Championship if his side fail to overcome fellow Aviva Premiership strugglers Newcastle Falcons on Saturday.
World Cup winner Back takes his side to Kingston Park this weekend with Leeds perilously positioned at the bottom of the table, two points behind Newcastle with just four games remaining.
Only a win will do for Carnegie and even that might not be enough, as Falcons still have one game in hand over their northern rivals.
Speaking to
Sky Sports News ahead of the match, Back admitted: "We find ourselves in a real fight now. We've got four Premiership games remaining and we believe we have to win at least two of those.
"We need to start winning and backing up performances, it's critical.
"It's in our hands if we can get the vital win on Saturday. For both clubs it's a massive fixture. We've got to go out there and give absolutely everything. If it's not good enough we have to plan for the Championship."
Leeds kept their survival hopes alive with a vital 27-22 victory over Exeter last weekend.
Decisive
And Back has called for a similar performance in the North East.
"It was massive to our aims to stay in the Premiership. It was non-negotiable, we had to win (against Exeter) and that's the case this Saturday against Newcastle," he added.
"I don't think we've been complacent at any stage. We are 18 games in, we've won three, picked up six bonus losing points and on another day they could have been wins.
"We have to turn up at Newcastle, who are fighting themselves, and win."
Saturday's fixture was originally scheduled for Boxing Day, however adverse weather conditions forced the match to be re-arranged for April 9.
Back and his players will be looking to draw strength from the win Leeds picked up at Kingston Park back in 2009 - the 16-15 triumph ultimately proving decisive in preserving Carnegie's top-flight status.
"We've got those memories with us. Last year we had to go there over Christmas, and we won 16-15 in the cold, wetness of a Friday night," said Back.
"The difference here is that this one has been rearranged to a Saturday, we're more accustomed to playing on this type of day so hopefully that will work in our favour.
"We've got to be disciplined, we've got to perform and continue our good performances. We've played four good Premiership games, picked up nine points, scored eight tries, conceded four, we're in a good place."
