Back sinks Bath's pretenders

Leicester celebrate another season at the top

Leicester 43-25 Bath

Neil Back scored three tries against Bath to celebrate the Tigers' second consecutive Premiership title in style.

It was also Leicester's 31st straight domestic win at Welford Road, but the West Country visitors nearly ruined the party with a fiesty display that saw them go into the interval 18-16 up.

In the end, Leicester's forward power, personified by Back, rumbled over the league runners-up to secure a comfortable victory in front of ecstatic home fans.

Bath led 18-16 at half-time

Retiring Leicester stars Canadian wing Dave Lougheed and South African lock Fritz van Heerden could not have asked for a better send-off.

At one stage in the fractious and ill-tempered first half the match more closely resembled the Premiership decider it could have been, rather than a largely meaningless end-of-season outing.

Three players all-told were sin-binned by referee Ed Morrison as passions boiled over, and more than once punches were exchanged.

In fact, it was the 34th-minute yellow card for Tigers skipper Martin Johnson that proved the catalyst for a Bath revival as Andy Robinson's side ran in two quick tries to steal ahead by the break.

Match facts

Leicester: Tries: Murphy, Kay, Back 3. Cons: Stimpson 3. Pens: Stimpson 4

Bath: Tries: De Glanville, Penalty, Clarke. Cons: Perry 2. Pens: Perry 2.

The absence of the towering lock, whose temperament remains a major question mark as he tries to reclaim his place in the England side, ended 20 minutes of Leicester domination.

Wing Geordan Murphy gave the home side the edge with an interception try off a hurried pass by Bath centre Kevin Maggs.

Martin went to the bin for deliberately killing possession, and Bath's forwards responded with a penalty try that Matt Perry converted to tie up the scores at 13-13.

Tim Stimpson put Leicester ahead again with a penalty before Phil de Glanville, seemingly enveloped by Tigers tacklers, wriggled his way over for Bath's second try.

The second half started in similarly explosive style with Richard Cockerill and John Mallett sin-binned for brawling.

Stimpson re-established Leicester's lead with his fourth penalty, then the home side moved clear as centre Pat Howard ran the ball with the visitors expecting a kick and delivered a long, scoring pass to lock Ben Kay.

Back claimed the first of his minutes later with a trademark dive over from a driven line-out.

Bath now trailed 29-18 and the prospects looked bleak, but Dan Lyle's pick and go set up Ben Clarke for a score under the posts and suddenly things looked shaky for the champions again.

However, it was not to be as Back struck twice more in copycat fashion, probably clocking up a total of three yards for his hat-trick.

Teams

Leicester: Stimpson, Murphy, Lloyd, Howard, Lougheed, Healey, Hamilton, Rowntree, Cockerill, Nebbett, M. Johnson, Kay, Moody, Back, Balding.
Replacements: Joiner, Grindal, Gustard, Garforth, Jelley, Greenwood, Freshwater.

Bath: Perry, Tindall, Maggs, De Glanville, A. Adebayo, Catt, Cooper, Ubogu, Regan, Mallett, Sturnham, Borthwick, Gardiner, Clarke, Lyle.
Replacements: Williams, Mears, Horsman, Voyce, Simpson, G. Thomas, Lloyd.

Referee: Ed Morrison (RFU)