Leeds show their fighting spirit with Wasps win

Ceiron Thomas inspired Leeds to a victory for the second successive match as they fuelled further belief that they can preserve their Premiership status.

Seru Rabeni, with ball, is tackled by Mark Van Gisbergen during the  match between Leeds and Wasps yesterday.
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Ceiron Thomas inspired Leeds to a victory for the second successive match as they fuelled further belief that they can preserve their Guinness Premiership status. Thomas's assured goal kicking in the first half set them on their way for their first home win in England's top tier since March 2008, helping the bottom club to a 26-10 win.

Wasps survived a period down to 14 men after Ben Broster's sin binning despite taking the lead through Danny Cipriani's converted try. But a flurry of second-half penalties allowed Thomas to guide Leeds to their fourth win of the season with an 18-point haul, as Wasps struggled to contain Leeds' abrasive pack. The home side's victory was given extra garnish with Hendrie Fourie's late try and Joe Ford's penalty.

Greg Somerville, the Gloucester prop, is expected to out of action for six weeks after sustaining a fracture to his forearm. The 32-year-old New Zealand international was withdrawn after 50 minutes of Gloucester's 47-3 win over Sale yesterday. Meanwhile, Derick Hougaard missed a penalty with the last kick of the game as Saracens lost 16-14 at home to Bath. London Irish took advantage of Saracens' defeat by beating Harlequins 29-14 thanks to tries from Steffon Armitage and Nick Kennedy plus 19 points from the boot of Tom Homer

Leicester Tigers suffered a heavy defeat to Northampton at Franklin's Gardens on Saturday. The Tigers' lead over the second-placed Saints is now narrowed to just one point after the 19-3 loss. * With agencies