Otley 10, Leeds Carnegie 66

The importance of keeping 14 players on the field was amply demonstrated today when National League One leaders Leeds Carnegie ran in ten tries to defeat Otley.

For 20 minutes, the relegation-threatened hosts had the better of things as the visitors made a stuttering start.

Lacking cohesion in the line-out and hindered by sloppy passing, Leeds almost conceded tries twice.

Firstly, left winger Jonathan Buchanan was put away by a combination of Tom Rhodes and Kyle Dench only to be halted, and then right winger Danny Smith went close in the opposite corner after good work by Andy Brown.

Otley did get the lead in the 15th minute when Rhodes landed a penalty from between the Leeds ten-metre line and halfway after Leeds had failed to release the ball.

Then their frustration grew further as home full back Ian Shuttleworth pulled off an important tackle and flanker Mike McComish relieved the pressure by booting the ball into space downfield.

But the parity was swiftly ended when McComish was yellow carded in the 23rd minute for a trip after the intervention of a touch judge.

England Sevens player Tom Biggs crossed in the 26th minute as his opposite number Smith slipped, flanker Andy Boyde scored four minutes later from a show-and-go and right winger Scott Armstrong made it three tries in seven minutes by going over on the right.

By the time McComish got back on the field, Leeds were 21-3 ahead, and they added two more tries before half-time from Biggs, after Dench had gone for an interception, and fly half James Brooks, who added four conversions, only failing to improve Biggs’ second try.

Otley’s skipper Dan Hyde said of McComish’s yellow card: “I didn’t see the incident myself but the touch judge did.

"I cannot condone what Mike supposedly did if it was a trip but I was delighted with how we started the game.

“Leeds are a full-time outfit, are well drilled and we have a lot of respect for them, and we hope they get back into the Premiership, but we wanted to get under their skins.”

Otley managed that for a while but there was a certain inevitability about the second half once Leeds had reached the interval leading 33-3.

Centre Rob Vickerman, and Brooks (2) added tries before the majority of the crowd of 2,610 got their wish – an Otley try.

It came in the 73rd minute, lock Howard Parr getting the touchdown after some good close-in work by the forwards.

Rhodes’ conversion was also greeted by a roar but the home side lost replacement flanker Nathan Bland with a knee injury four minutes later.

It is too soon to assess the full extent of the damage but it isn’t believed to be as serious as first thought.

Leeds took their try tally to double figures with late efforts by replacement Scott Barrow and Kearnan Myall.