Genge return puts an end to Bath’s play-off ambitions
Todd Blackadder admitted before this game that it was “do or die” for his Bath team. Eighth in the table, eight points off the top four, and with just four games left to play, Bath’s season was already drifting towards mediocrity. It is now officially dead in the water.
A huge performance from Leicester’s pack, in particular England loosehead Ellis Genge on his first start since shoulder surgery in December, paved the way for this five-try bonus-point win which boosts Tigers’ play-off hopes.
But it left Bath’s season in ruins. Blackadder’s team are now 10 points off the top four and seven points off the top six with a trip to Saracens to come next weekend. Their season is effectively over, although Blackadder – despite his do-or-die comment beforehand – was not admitting it.
“I know when you look at the outcome it doesn’t look like it, but internally, we really did things that came off today,” he said. “We have three more games to keep improving and we still have a chance of the top six and we will never give up on that. We will come out of this and be better.”
Blackadder’s point about playing well was valid to a point. Bath had actually led 13-10 at half-time in their ‘home’ game at Twickenham, and looked the more threatening with ball in hand.
But the truth is their scrum had been marmalised during those opening 40 minutes
(it actually lasted 55 minutes, given the number of reset scrums), and that pressure told in the second half as Leicester ran in four tries, two of them scored by Tongan No8 Sione Kalamafoni. In total, Bath managed just 27 per cent territory and 31 per cent possession and, by the final whistle, were out on their feet.
Bath’s season-ticket holders must have wondered why they bothered. Bath managed to sell nearly 61,000 tickets to this clash but, having beaten Leicester seven times in a row at the Rec, the value of their big day out was questionable.
The first half was a long drawn-out affair. Bath won the breakdown battle and made more metres than Leicester, with Rhys Priestland slotting two early penalties to George Ford’s one. But their scrum was a disaster.
Once Leicester got their rolling maul going, and then their set-piece, it was one-way traffic. Genge was clearly up for it, threatening to get himself some time in the sin bin on a number of occasions as he snarled and prowled. “I think most of that was show,” Tigers head coach Matt O’Connor smiled. “I think he’s more bark than bite.”
The aggression began to pay dividends midway through the first half as, first Kahn Fotuali’i received his marching orders for diving in, then after a series of resets, Bath’s tighthead Shaun Knight was put out of his misery with a yellow card.
That necessitated a bit of a Bath reshuffle with prop Victor Delmas coming on for lock Elliott Stooke. But Bath could not hold out forever. After a ninth scrum – and much booing from the crowd – the ball was sent right from Ford to Mathew Tait and finally to Adam Thompstone, who scored in the corner.
Bath regrouped and – despite the two-man deficit – began to apply some pressure of their own. After Tait was forced off following a bang to the head, Bath managed to put Tom Dunn over the line.
That made it 13-10 with Priestland’s conversion, and Bath nearly scored a second try just before the break when Matt Banahan did brilliantly to reach a Priestland chip to the corner, keeping his body in play superbly and getting the ball down. Replays showed he had just lost control of the ball.
Leicester utterly bossed the second half, though. Kalamafoni put Tigers 15-13 up, stretching his huge frame over the line. And after Priestland’s penalty had put Bath back in front, the big Tongan scored an even better try a few minutes later, stepping Taulupe Faletau beautifully before muscling his way over. “I thought he [Kalamafoni] was the best player by some distance,” said O’Connor. “He’s been our best player all year.”
Only Ford’s profligacy from the tee allowed Bath to stay in touch. And when Priestland reduced the arrears with a penalty, not only was it a onepoint game again, at 19-20, but Leicester were down to 14 men, Thompstone having seen yellow for bringing James Wilson down awkwardly in the air.
The scoreline was not an accurate reflection of the game. Leicester were dominant, scoring further tries through Sam Harrison and Telusa Veainu.
Bath chairman Bruce Craig has seen off two head coaches since taking control in 2010, but Blackadder denied he was feeling the pressure. “There has been no pressure at all – more support,” he insisted. “You can put up the white flag, but that’s not in my nature.” Scoring 3-0 Priestland pen; 3-3 Ford pen; 6-3 Priestland pen; 6-8 Thompstone try; 6-10 Ford con; 11-10 Dunn try; 13-10 Priestland con; 13-15 Kalamafoni try; 16-15 Priestland pen; 16-20 Kalamafoni try; 19-20 Priestland pen; 19-25 Harrison try; 19-27 Ford con; 19-32 Veainu try; 19-34 Ford con. Bath J Wilson; M Banahan (C Vuna 74), J Joseph, B Tapuai (F Burns 74), A Brew; R Priestland, K Fotuali’i (M Green 77); B Obano (L Noguera Paz 65), T Dunn (J Walker 54), S Knight (V Delmas 54), C Ewels (J Phillips 70), E Stooke, M Garvey (T Ellis 36), F Louw, T Faletau. Leicester Veainu; Thompstone, Tait, Toomua, May, Ford (capt), Harrison (H Simmons 77); Genge (G Bateman 61), Polota-Nau (T Youngs 55), Cole (L Mulipola 61), Fitzgerald (H Wells 77), Kitchener, Mapapalangi (W Evans 61), Hamilton, Kalamafoni. Referee Wayne Barnes (Gloucestershire).