Bath hold off Leicester to end 29 year-wait for English title

LONDON: Bath became champions of England for the first time since 1996 with a dramatic 23-21 Premiership final victory over Leicester in baking conditions at Twickenham on Saturday.

Victory completed a treble for Bath after lifting the Premiership Rugby Cup and European Challenge Cup and rounded off a dominant season in which they finished runaway leaders in the Premiership table.

Tries from Thomas Du Toit and Max Ojomoh plus 13 points from the boot of Finn Russell edged Bath over the line despite a spirited fightback from the Tigers. Three years on from finishing bottom of the Premiership, Bath´s title caps a remarkable return to the top of the English game under South African coach Johaan van Graan.

After missing out in the final to Northampton in an agonising 25-21 defeat in last year´s final, nearly three decades of hurt have come to an end. “Grateful for this journey that started almost three years ago,” said Van Graan.

“A club with no hope. We started to, to work on our hope, on our joy. Day-by-day and then we moved into believe and today elation, satisfaction and more just grateful for everybody.” Leicester outscored their opponents by three tries to two but trailed 20-7 down with just over 10 minutes to go.

“I´m so proud of the players for the way they came in there and stayed in it right to the end,” said Leicester coach Michael Cheika, who was left furious at a number of decisions by the officials in his final match in charge.

Despite their 29-year wait, Bath were strong favourites after finishing 11 points clear of second-placed Leicester in the league table and winning 43-15 when the two sides met just four weeks ago.

Nerves got the better of the west country side early on and Leicester took advantage to score first. Jack van Poortvliet touched down after a driving maul carried the Tigers towards the Bath line. Russell was wayward from the tee in his last visit to Twickenham which cost Scotland the Calcutta Cup against England in the Six Nations back in February.