Aviva Premiership round-up: Evans lifts Quins clear at the top

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While the World Cup went on in New Zealand yesterday, the Aviva Premiership's four-yearly sense of unusualness deepened, and not only because Leicester, missing practically a team of Test players, had 50 stuck on them at home. At Sixways, Harlequins beat Worcester 17-15 for four wins in four, putting themselves three points clear at the top – a concept so unfamiliar it almost needs typing out twice.

The former England fly-half Andy Goode kicked four penalties and a drop-goal to put Worcester 15-3 up after an hour; a try by the wing Sam Smith and a conversion by the former All Black No 10 Nick Evans, and then a penalty try converted by Evans, won the game for Quins.

Newcastle, many people's tip to finish bottom of the table, fell four points adrift with four defeats in four after losing 46-29 at London Irish. Topsy Ojo, Jonathan Joseph (twice) and a penalty try gave Irish a try-scoring bonus point and Tom Homer kicked 26 points. Daz Fearn and Jamie Helleur scored tries for Newcastle; Jimmy Gopperth kicked five penalties and converted one try; Tom Catterick improved the other.

The Exiles' head coach, Toby Booth, concentrated on Joseph and Homer when he said: "These boys are the future and they are the present as well. He [Joseph] has gone a long way at good pace for his tries. But JJ isn't a surprise because of what he did last year. We know exactly what he's capable of. He's one of those who we are fast-tracking because he can deal with that."

Joseph's display highlighted one of the advantages of the Premiership's World Cup period, when young players are given, necessarily, plenty of chances. The arrival at the Madejski Stadium after the World Cup of England's Shontayne Hape and Joe Ansbro of Scotland, however, may well show that such exposure is often short-lived.

In the RaboDirect Pro12, Aironi beat Edinburgh 25-19. An Italian, the scrum-half Tito Tebaldi, scored one of the Italian side's three tries – the other 20 points came from imports. Kyle Traynor and Tim Visser scored for Edinburgh. In Wales, Leinster beat the Scarlets 15-10.

Back in England, in the Championship, there was some encouraging news for Newcastle. Last year's relegated team, Leeds, suffered a third loss in their first four games, 52-10 in Penzance against the Cornish Pirates. Unlike Leeds, none of the likely contenders in the second tier have a ground suitable for Premiership rugby.