The 23-year-old flanker, who made his England debut against Argentina in June, showed brute power to twice burrow his way over the line and help the visitors into a 24-13 interval lead.

Yet Leeds head coach Neil Back has fashioned a side with guts.

His men hit back with two tries in seven second-half minutes through Kearnan Myall and Tom Denton to ensure a scoreline of 30-27 in the visitors' favour going into the final quarter of the match.

Leeds pushed hard for a try that could have secured only their second win of the season but Quins answered just about every question that was asked of them when it mattered most.

Since their momentous win at Wasps, Leeds have now lost three Premiership matches in succession and a losing bonus point was little consolation for their efforts.

For Harlequins, life is beginning to look a lot better after the 'Bloodgate' scandal which threatened to bring the club to its knees in the summer.

After a woeful start to the season, Quins have lost only one of their last six Premiership outings to encourage hopes that they challenge at the top end of the table again.