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Search forLast-gasp victory for Bath in thriller at The Rec
Saturday, November 15, 2008, 16:12
Forget the autumn internationals. Forget Twickenham. You had to be at The Rec for the most exciting rugby match of the weekend.
Two-and-a-half minutes after the countdown clock had touched zero and with his side 20-21 down, a piece of brilliance from Bath fly-half Butch James allowed the Springbok to cross the Tigers’ line and send The Rec into a state of utter pandemonium.
Bath had led for the whole game until a 77th minute try from Leicester substitute Mefin Davies, converted by Geordan Murphy, gave the Tigers the narrowest of leads.
Bath’s response was brilliant. A cross-field kick from James was collected by his captain Alex Crockett. Brought down and isolated, Crockett flung the ball high back towards his supporting players. James, running infield at the perfect angle caught the ball, scythed through the scrambling Leicester defence, crossed the Tigers’ line and touched down, sending The Rec faithful wild and extending Bath's lead at the top of the Guinness Premiership.
The clash of the top two Premiership sides lived up to expectations, in a highly physical, often frantic and always entertaining encounter.
A muscular performance by the Bath forwards allowed the home side to go in at the interval with a 20-3 lead, the highlight of the half being a 40 yard run by Bath hooker Pieter Dixon which culminated in a try. Complete with sidestep, hand-off and dummy pass, it will be a dash the Zimbabwean-born forward – and The Rec – will long remember.
The Tigers dominated possession and territory for the first half hour, but turnovers from the stout Bath pack at just the right moments prevented Leicester crossing the try line.
James showed no signs of rustiness during the early exchanges following a four-week period of rest. In the opening minutes the South African fly-half had the vision to change the direction of play with a beautiful cross-field kick that gained Bath 30 yards, and slotted over a penalty on six minutes following a Leicester infraction at the lineout.
The next ten minutes was all about Leicester, with backs and forwards linking up well to put Bath under the cosh inside their own 5 metre line. A turnover by the bullish Bath pack allowed the home side to clear their lines, but the respite was brief, with Tigers fly-half Derick Hougaard slotting over a penalty on 15 minutes.
Bath gave the home supporters some anxious moments with some poor attempted clearance kicks. But knock-ons and a lack of creativity in the Leicester backs helped the home side’s cause.
On 17 minutes came the moment that Dixon will never forget. Perhaps inspired by Joe Maddock’s fine, weaving run of a few minutes earlier, the hooker set off on a 40 yard charge that saw him out-fox the Tigers' last line of defence and score under the posts.
Leicester continued to dominate possession and territory, but squandered opportunities with the occasional sloppy pass going to ground. The home side could have conceded a try on 24 minutes when Matt Banahan came up too quickly and missed a tackle, but Shaun Berne saved the winger’s blushes with some try-saving cover.
Andrew Higgins was taken out without the ball on 32 minutes, allowing James to step up and kick Bath to a ten-point lead.
It was a half of big hits by Bath. Tigers fly-half Derick Hougaard was left shaken by a clattering tackle from Jonny Faamatuainu, and Lewis Moody was left temporarily decked after a thumping hit by Crockett.
With five minutes of the half remaining, referee Andrew Small was forced to have a word with captains Crockett and Corry after confrontation involving Johne Murphy and Higgins threatened to send an encounter of simmering tensions into outright blows.
Two minutes later a perfectly struck grubber from James allowed Maddock to put in a crunching tackle on Tigers fullback Geordan Murphy behind his line. Bath’s pack, growing in confidence at the set-piece as the half wore on, put on a timely shunt as The Rec roared them on, allowing number 8 Daniel Browne to touchdown. His try and James’ conversion allowed Bath the luxury of a 17-point lead at half time.
The Tigers needed to score first in the second half if they were to stand any chance, and it was indeed the visitors who began the second half with greater zest. Just three minutes in Hougaard kicked a penalty, and hands in the ruck by Bath six minutes later allowed the South African to reduce his side’s deficit to 11.
Leicester continued to enjoy the bulk of possession, but dedicated defending by Bath – with Berne and Crockett following the pack’s fine example – continued to keep the Tigers out until a missed tackle by Higgins on 60 minutes let Johne Murphy touch down in the corner and put Leicester just six points behind.
On 65 minutes an inside pass from James released Crockett to cut through the Leicester defence on the halfway line. Crockett passed to substitute centre Eliota Fuimaono-Sapolu, but the Pacific Islander opted to go inside and failed to pick out the supporting runners on his outside.
With 12 minutes remaining, Dixon was sin-binned for holding back Leicester substitute Tom Varndell, setting up a nail-biting, frantic final ten minutes.
On 72 minutes, with a two-man overlap, Leicester looked certain to score in the left corner. But the pass from substitute Craig Newby to Geordan Murphy was forward, ensuring another Tigers attack came to nought.
Finally, on 77 minutes, Leicester breached the Bath line when a period of pressure from the forwards culminated in Davies barging over. With Hougaard having limped off, it was down to Geordan Murphy to kick for goal and give the Tigers a one-point lead.
When it went over, Bath’s cause looked doomed. But James and Crockett’s moment of brilliance turned things around, sending The Rec bananas.
After the final whistle, an administrative dispute broke out between the officials over whether James’ final conversion kick had gone over. But none of the players or fans cared. And why should they have done? The match was over and Bath remained at the top of the Premiership.
Bath Rugby: Maddock, Higgins, Crockett, Berne (Fuimaono-Sapolu, 60), Banahan, James, Bemand, Barnes, Dixon, Bell (Jarvis, 67), Harrison (Beattie, 60), Grewcock, Short, Faamatuainu (Hawkins, 69), Browne. Unused replacements: Scaysbrook, Baxter, Cuthbert
Leicester Tigers: G Murphy, J Murphy, Hipkiss, Mauger, Smith, Hougaard (Varndell, 64), Dupuy (B Youngs, 76), Stankovich, Chuter (Davies, 67), Cole (Bonorino, 55), Blaze (B Deacon, 67), Wentzel (Kay, 60), Corry, Moody (Newby, 55), Crane.
Referee: Andrew Small (New Zealand)
Attendance: 10,600
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