Pollard stars as Tigers secure play-off spot
MATCH REPORT: Springbok Handre Pollard was in fine form as he steers the Leicester Tigers to a 48-27 win over Bath.
Matt Gallagher crossed the whitewash to give Bath the lead inside 11 minutes.
However but scores from Harry Potter, Handré Pollard, Hanro Liebenberg and Julián Montoya gave Tigers a 31-13 lead at the break.
Josh McNally closed the gap after half-time, but Montoya scored his second to give the hosts some breathing room.
Bath started the second half well and McNally went over following a close-range line-out, but any celebrations were short-lived as England flank Sam Underhill was helped off with a neck injury before fellow back-rower Alfie Barbeary, on as a replacement, also departed with what looked like a hamstring problem.
Another Pollard penalty extended the lead as Bath failed to convert a number of good periods of possession.
The visitors were made to pay with 16 minutes left as Mike Brown rolled back the years with a superb break from halfway that saw him tackled five metres from the Bath line, but Tigers recycled the ball well and Montoya battered his way over in the left corner.
Potter had a second try disallowed shortly after following a push by Brown on Niall Annett as he chased down Matt Scott’s kick.
But Wells did swiftly add a sixth for Tigers when Scott caught a Charlie Atkinson kick and a couple of passes later Wells was in.
And Harry Wells wrapped up the win before Fergus Lee-Warner scored a late consolation for Bath.
The scorers:
For Bath:
Tries: Gallagher, Spencer, McNally, Lee-Warner
Cons: Spencer 2
Pens: Spencer
For Leicester:
Tries: Potter, Pollard, Montoya 2, Liebenberg, Wells
Cons: Pollard 5, Atkinson
Pens: Pollard 2
Teams:
Bath Rugby: 15 Tom de Glanville, 14 Ruaridh McConnochie, 13 Jonathan Joseph, 12 Cameron Redpath, 11 Matt Gallagher, 10 Orlando Bailey, 9 Ben Spencer (captain); 1 Beno Obano, 2 Tom Dunn, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Josh McNally, 5 GJ van Velze, 6 Fergus Lee-Warner, 7 Sam Underhill, 8 Jaco Coetzee
Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 D’Arcy Rae, 19 Miles Reid, 20 Alfie Barbeary, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Max Ojomoh, 23 Chris Cloete
Leicester Tigers: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Harry Potter, 13 Matt Scott, 12 Jimmy Gopperth, 11 Harry Simmons, 10 Handré Pollard, 9 Ben Youngs; 1 Tom West, 2 Julián Montoya (captain), 3 Joe Heyes, 4 George Martin, 5 Cameron Henderson, 6 Hanro Liebenberg, 7 Tommy Reffell, 8 Jasper Wiese
Replacements: 16 Charlie Clare, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Will Hurd, 19 Harry Wells, 20 Olly Cracknell, 21 Tom Whiteley, 22 Charlie Atkinson, 23 Guy Porter
Source: @Premiership
