Bath Clinches Home Semi-Final with Narrow Victory Over Leicester Tigers
Bath secured a thrilling 24-22 victory against Leicester Tigers on Saturday, ensuring their second-place finish in the league and setting up a home semi-final against Exeter Chiefs next week. The match began with a bang as Orlando Bailey scored an early try for the Tigers. However, Bath quickly responded with two tries from Thomas du Toit and a third from Joe Cokanasiga, taking the lead. As the first half unfolded: Jack van Poortvliet scored for Leicester just before the break. James O'Connor converted and leveled the scores at 17-17 going into halftime. After the break, du Toit completed a decisive hat-trick, pushing Bath ahead. A tense finish saw George Pearson score a last-minute try for the Tigers. However, Bailey's missed conversion left them short of a draw. The match also marked a tribute to Bath legend Roger Spurrell, who passed away earlier in the week, with a minute's applause before kick-off. Despite Bath's dominance in the second half, including a sin-bin for Cokanasiga, the Tigers managed to score again through Pearson. Yet, Bailey's missed kick with just two minutes remaining denied Leicester the chance to level the scores and secure a third-place finish. With this win, Bath looks forward to their upcoming challenge against Exeter Chiefs, while Leicester will face league leaders Northampton Saints in the first semi-final.
Source: BBC Sport - 2026-06-06