Leeds pack too much punch for London Irish

ENGLISH CUP Semi final: Leeds 15 London Irish 6 Leeds Tykes put their woeful Premiership form to one side with a deserved win over London Irish in the English Cup semi-final yesterday.

Tries from Chris Bell and David Doherty secured Leeds a place in their first Twickenham final, and director of rugby Phil Davies will be hoping it can kick-start their stuttering season.

The Tykes edged a patchy game, played in front of a disappointing crowd of just 3,258, as London Irish struggled to create any clear cut chances in the game.

The Leeds pack dominated for much of the game and their backs had enough pace to create problems for the Irish defence on a number of occasions.

The game came alive when Gordon Ross made a scything break through the Irish midfield before off-loading to Phil Christophers.

The former England winger looked to have a clear run in to the line before Justin Bishop came off his wing to produce a magnificent covering tackle.

Leeds proceeded to turn the ball over in the middle of the pitch and ball was fed along the line to winger Doherty. Doherty passed to supporting prop Rayno Gerber, who sent Chris Bell cantering over the try-line. Ross was unable to convert.

After penalties from Ross and Mark Mapletoft, Leeds turned round with an 8-3 lead. Mapletoft struck his second penalty 15 minutes into the second half to narrow the gap.

Impressive work by Iain Balshaw then allowed Leeds to force their way upfield. The ball was worked left through replacement Alan Dickens and Bell, who fed 18-year-old Doherty.

The former national schools sprint champion showed Horak the inside before stepping on the gas and flying over in the corner.

LEEDS: Balshaw; Rees, Christophers, Bell, Doherty; Ross, McMillan; Shelley, Regan, Gerber, Murphy, Palmer, Morgan, Parks, Rigney. Replacements: Dickens for McMillan (56 mins), Rawlinson for Regan (53 mins), Hooper for Murphy (53 mins).

LONDON IRISH: Horak; Staniforth, Penney, Catt, Bishop; Mapletoft, Edwards; Hatley, Russell, Hardwick, Kennedy, Casey, Gustard, Dawson, Reid. Replacements: Mordt for Staniforth (33 mins), Everitt for Mapletoft (66 mins), Hodgson for Edwards (72 mins), Flavin for Russell (50 mins), Strudwick for Kennedy (49 mins), Murphy for Gustard (53 mins).

Referee: T Spreadbury (England).