Bath get Tigers treatment
Bath's recent purple patch was brought to an end as league leaders Leicester romped to victory.
Last Updated: 03/04/10 6:12pm
Bath's recent purple patch was brought to an end as league leaders Leicester romped to a 43-20 victory.
Guinness Premiership pace-setters Leicester secured a bonus point, as the hosts claimed their eighth victory in nine outings and title rivals Bath saw their seven-match winning streak snapped and their play-off hopes knocked.
Alesana Tuilagi ran in the first try for Leicester with just 26 seconds on the clock and Bath, given a rough time by the Tigers pack, were 25-13 behind by the break after conceding two more tries to Tuilagi and lock Geoff Parling.
Second-half scores by Anthony Allen and a penalty try confirmed the Tigers' superiority, as Bath could only muster a try in each half by wings Joe Maddock and Matt Banahan.
Gift
Leicester were gifted the best possible start when Shontayne Hape was robbed of the ball by Matt Smith and a quick pass gave Tuilagi a simple run-in from half-way. Fly-half Toby Flood converted from wide out on the left.
Olly Barkley quickly pulled back three points with a penalty but it was all Leicester at this stage and Flood, after missing a 40-metre effort, restored the seven-point lead from short-range.
Bath were warned by referee Sean Davey for repeated infringements and Flood's penalty set up a line-out on the Bath 22. Simple off-the-top ball stretched the visitors' defence before Tuilagi was left unmarked to touch down at the corner, although Flood failed to add the extras.
Bath responded with a 23rd minute try through Maddock. Leicester spilled the ball and the Kiwi winger was quickest to reach the kick-ahead, eluding Lewis Moody to score under the posts, Barkley adding the conversion.
But having battled their way back into the game, the visitors lost ex-Leicester lock Peter Short to the sin-bin for knocking the ball out of Ben Youngs' hands at the back of a ruck in the 34th minute.
Flood made it 18-10 with the resulting kick but Barkley, one of the few cool heads in the Bath team, replied by knocking over a kick from near halfway.
The visitors would have been happy to go in just five points adrift considering the pressure they had been under, but they lost control of a scrum in their own 22 and Tom Croft's surge to the posts made space for a third try in injury time for Parling. Flood's conversion sent his team in at the break with a 25-13 lead.
Second-half
Bath reappeared without Barkley, replaced by Australian Matt Carraro, and Tigers took advantage within three minutes, sending Anthony Allen in at the corner for the bonus point try. Flood's conversion and a third penalty on 47 minutes established a 20-point lead and the Tigers took their foot off the pedal.
Bath fought back with a 54th minute Banahan try, courtesy of a neat flick pass by fly-half Butch James, who also added the conversion.
Flood's fourth penalty roused the Tigers for a final effort as the Bath scrum buckled on their own line to concede a 75th minute penalty try. Flood's conversion took his personal tally to 18 points and rounded off a dominant display from the reigning champions.
