Burrow Hits Century As Harlequins Are Trampled

Leeds underlined the depth of their squad to pull two points clear at the top of the Super League table last night as the previously high-flying Harlequins crashed to earth with a bump.

Only points difference had separated the two injury-hit teams before kick-off but the Rhinos proved far more capable of handling the absence of seven first- team players while Quins sorely missed key men such as Scott Hill, Henry Paul and Matt Gafa.

Rob Burrow claimed the personal highlight of the night with his 100th try for Leeds but it was the combination of Ali Lauitiiti and Keith Senior down the left flank which did the most damage to the Londoners, whose disarray was best summed up when their scrum-half Danny Orr became so disorientated that he played the ball the wrong way and gifted possession to the Rhinos.

Harlequins trailed 24-0 at half-time and never really recovered from conceding two soft tries in the first 12 minutes. Ben Kaye, a 19-year-old making his debut at hooker in place of the injured Matt Diskin, provided the flat pass for Jamie Jones-Buchanan to crash over for the first, then Jamie Peacock rolled back the years to his previous life as a wide-running second-row by galloping over from 30 meters out.

One of Senior's powerful breaks set up a try for the substitute Jordan Tansey with his first touch, and Brent Webb and Nick Scruton added further scores either side of half-time before Burrow completed his century after Lauitiiti's brilliant one-handed offload.

Both Kaye and Luke Burgess, also making his home debut, helped themselves to tries in the closing stages which Kevin Sinfield converted to make it eight goals from as many attempts in his 47th consecutive scoring appearance for the Rhinos. But it was low-key stuff for a crowd of 14,557, who will expect better when they return to Headingley for the Easter derby against Bradford next Thursday night.

In last night's other game Wakefield's Tevita Latu became the second Super League player to be sent off this season as Trinity lost 18-8 at Hull.

Leeds Rhinos Webb; Hall, Ellis, Senior, Donald; Sinfield, Burrow; Leuluai, Kaye, Bailey, Peacock, Lauitiiti, Jones-Buchanan. Interchange Scruton, Tansey, Burgess, Worrall.

Harlequins McLinden; Sheriffe, Clubb, Howell, Wells; Orr, Rinaldi; Temata, Randall, Ward, Barker, Purdham, Mbu. Interchange Heckenberg, McCarthy-Scarsbrook, Grayshon, Worrincy.

Referee B Thaler (Wakefield).