SARACENS bounced back from last week's disappointing defeat at the hands of London Irish by grinding out their third straight away victory on Friday night.

Three second-half penalties from the boot of Glen Jackson and a first-half try from Raphael Ibanez adorned a workmanlike performance that carried the Men in Black to a valuable 14-5 win and up to sixth in the table.

With five games, four of which are against the top four sides, still remaining the Men in Black now have one more point than they accrued in the whole of last season, leaving them on course for a place in the end of season play-offs.

Head coach Steve Diamond recalled Ibanez, the former France captain, Ben T Russell and Simon Raiwalui to the side and they all played their part in a rumbling forward pack who overpowered the hosts and laid the foundations for the victory. Russell, in particular, was outstanding in his first Premiership start of the season and his thunderous display of tackling was instrumental in another resolute defensive display.

Indeed, Sarries needed to be at their most defiant during the opening 25 minutes as relegation-haunted Leeds came out with the bit between their teeth, and they could and should have been in front had David Doherty not missed a straight-forward penalty and captain Tom Palmer not strangely advised Craig McMullen to boot two kickable penalties to touch.

In fact it took the visitors 28 minutes to get inside the Leeds 22 for the first time, but when they did they came away with the first try of the match, Ibanez marking his first league start since the end of October by latching on to the back of an irresistible driving maul.

Jackson missed the conversion but found his range in the second half, knocking over three penalties to stretch Sarries lead to a commanding 14 points.

Leeds created enough chances of their own, most notably on 50 minutes when they created a huge overlap on the right but Tom McGhee's try-scoring pass to David Rees was correctly adjudged to have gone forward.

After Thomas Castaignede had been sin-binned for deliberate offside, Rees did find his way over in the second minute of injury-time but it came too little, too late for Leeds.

For a more comprehensive report, plus the thoughts of Steve Diamond and man of the match Ben T Russell, don't miss Friday's edition of the Watford Observer.