Leeds must learn from loss - Key

Key (left) says Leeds must get used to the extra pressure of the Premiership

Director of rugby Andy Key says Leeds Carnegie have a lot to learn from their heavy defeat by London Irish.

Leeds suffered their first home defeat since May 2008 as they went down 56-7 to the Exiles in a performance littered with mistakes.

"We have to learn from this," Key told BBC Radio Leeds.

"We need to look at how disciplined and clinical Irish were and how well they finished things off, and that's what we'll be doing in the coming days."

Leeds have lost two and drawn one of their opening three games back in the Premiership and travel to face in-form Northampton on Saturday.

"We are in an environment now where the pressure and the time you get on the ball is completely different to what we were used to last season," Key added.

"It is a stepping-stone process for us. In terms of fitness, conditioning and athletic performance we are up there. But the area we still have to work on is understanding that under that type of pressure you have to look after the ball.

"So it's not that we can't apply pressure, it's about understanding how to build the pressure and sustain it and then make it count."

Their cause could be helped by captain Marco Wentzel's return to action for Saturday's Premiership game at Franklin's Gardens.

The South African lock missed the defeat by Irish because of an arm injury picked up against Worcester but the injury is not as bad as first feared.

"Marco has responded well to treatment in the past week and the injury is coming along well," said head coach Neil Back on Monday.

"He was in a lot of pain at first but the outlook is positive now. We will give him until the last possible moment to prove his fitness this week and hopefully he will be cleared to face Northampton."

Back also confirmed new Fijian signing Seru Rabeni could be ready to make his Leeds bow after joining the club three weeks ago.

"We are confident he will be available to play sooner rather than later and may be ready for this weekend but we will have to wait and see how he comes through training this week," Back added.