Sarries pile pressure on Leeds

Leeds continue to struggle on their return to the top flight after slipping to a third straight defeat.

The Tykes stay bottom of the table after losing 31-7 at home to Saracens, with the visitors claiming two tries in each half in a comfortable win.

First-half scores from Rodd Penney and Richard Haughton helped put the Sarries in charge as they built up a 17-0 interval advantage.

Noah Cato claimed a third Saracens try on the hour mark before Hugh Vyvyan raced clear for a late fourth. Former Leeds fly-half Gordon Ross knocked over a penalty and three conversions on his return to Headingley Carnegie.

Leeds, for whom debutant Calum Clark became the youngest forward to start a Premiership match, struggled to make inroads into a resolute Saracens defence and are already beginning to look in real danger of going straight back down.

Lost

Skipper Stuart Hooper did cross the line for Leeds in the last minute, a try converted by Leigh Hinton, but the game was long since lost.

Ross, who was surprisingly omitted from Scotland's World Cup squad, failed with a fourth-minute penalty but thereafter he emerged as the key figure.

The Scotsman's neat offload sent Penney scampering clear to cross the line just wide of the posts for Saracens' first try in the ninth minute, and he added the extras to give Saracens a 7-0 advantage.

Leeds full-back Richard Welding then fired a penalty wide of the posts in the 11th minute and moments later Ross showed him how to do it with a penalty goal from over 45 metres close to the left-hand touchline.

Ross, who combined cleverly throughout with skipper Neil De Kock, tested Leeds with a series of probing kicks which kept Saracens on the front foot.

Leeds, for their part, barely managed to escape their own half in the opening 40 minutes and Tom Rock's jinking run was their only threat of note.

Even then they managed to surrender possession and, after Welding missed another penalty, Saracens claimed their second try two minutes before the break.

A fine move saw the ball worked out to Haughton on the right flank and he raced over in the right corner.

Ross converted to give his side a 17-0 interval lead which they took 22 second-half minutes to add to as centre Adam Powell sent Cato over in the left-hand corner.

That came after Richard Vasey and Ross had both missed 42nd and 60th-minute penalties respectively, and with Ross converting Cato's try, Saracens were 24-0 ahead.

Credit

Leeds, to their credit, refused to give up but, while there was plenty of endeavour and determination, there was precious little quality.

That was provided exclusively by Saracens, who claimed their fourth try when Vyvyan collected Iain Fullarton's pass to race under the posts.

With Ross having been substituted on the hour mark, Glen Jackson added the conversion before Leeds crossed in the closing stages when Hooper barged over beneath the posts and Hinton converted.