Exiles pull the plug on Bath
By Andy Clarke
Last Updated: 01/01/70 1:00am
London Irish completed a superb second-half comeback to beat Bath 21-17.
Bath Rugby v London Irish, Guinness Premiership, Recreation Ground, KO 2.15pm
London Irish completed a superb second-half comeback to beat Bath 21-17 after a bad-tempered effort at The Rec.
Five players were sin-binned as tempers flared, however the Exiles kept their cool for long enough to overturn a 17-6 deficit after 44 minutes to secure a superb win.
Juan Manuel Leguizamon's late try sealed the victory, however what the citing commissioner is going to make of the match is anyone's guess.
Bath's Peter Short and Irish front-row duo Neal Hatley and David Paice were all shown yellow cards after 17 minutes following a mass brawl. The second-half then saw Bob casey and David Barnes given 10 minutes on the sidelines for separate indiscretions.
Somehow, referee Roy Maybank managed to keep the red card in his pocket - although whether any suspensions will follow is a matter for the RFU disciplinary committee.
The lack of flow in the game was highlighted by the number of penalties - with 20 in the first half alone.
Chris Malone and Barry Everitt had swapped kicks before all hell broke loose when Paice's spear tackle on Zak Feau'nati saw players from both sides dive in.
Paice was sent to the sin-bin for the tackle, while he was followed by Short and Hatley for their part in the melee.
Bath, though, could not take full advantage of their extra man with Malone managing only one successful penalty before the full complement were back on the pitch.
Malone and Everitt then swapped penalties before Feau'nati scored the first try of the match. The conversion was missed, but Malone made amends four minutes into the second half with a penalty to extend Bath's lead to 17-6.
Unfortunately for the home fans, that was their last score as the Exiles hit back with 15 unanswered points.
However, first two more players headed off the pitch - with Casey guilty of stamping and Barnes penalised for a professional foul.
Everitt made the most of the turmoil, slotting over a penalty before converting Robbie Russell's try.
Trailing by just a point, and with their tails up, the Irish surged forward in search of the decisive score. And it finally came with four minutes left as Leguizamon crashed over.
