The Caterpillar stand may not be to everyone's liking but if that kind of customer experience is the future of cutting edge professional rugby then sign me up for the proposed new stadium on the Western Riverside. Whilst I hanker for a solution at the Rec, tonight really hit home that we are absolutely lights years behind Leicester commercially and it will not be long before they are pushing hard for a salary cap increase that they will feel gives then more of an even footing in Europe. If we want to compete then something radical has to happen and as soon as possible- step forward Mr Blofeld.

This fixture was effectively between the clubs second strings so a useful test of strength in depth as well as an opportunity for fringe/ academy players to make themselves known. Leicester quickly got ascendency dominating both territory and possession leading to an easy Leicester penalty opportunity that Vesty inexplicably hit the post with.

Bath then got a foothold in the game and dominated for a 20 minute period. Peter Short charged down a defensive clearance and Dan Browne just lost the race for the loose ball and a try. A few minutes later a break from Josh Ovens down the wing almost led to a try but he was collared 10 yards out and the ball was spilled. The team were now playing with some confidence and Ryan Davis broke through a midfield gap around 30 metres from the Leicester line but couldn't quite hang on to a difficult pass.

The first score of the game came after Ovens burst out of a rolling maul and made good yardage resulting in an infringement at the breakdown and a Ryan Davis penalty. Ovens work rate and pace off the mark was having an impact on the game and Scott Hobson was calling the shots well at the lineout which looked more secure than it often has in recent weeks.

Shortly after the restart Bath were again putting the Tigers defence under pressure with good phase work, Peter Short and Dan Browne to the fore as ball carriers. Pieter Dixon made a very nice break leading to another breakdown penalty which although kickable Scott Bemand decided to tap and it was only desperate defence that held Skirving up over the line. From the resultant scrum Bath earnt a penalty but unfortunately Davis could not convert. I have read mixed reports of how the scrum went but I felt Nathan Catt handled Julian White excellently for someone who has just turned 22 and we often seemed to get a nudge on.

After 35 minutes Leicester equalised the score at 3-3 with a Vesty penalty, and with the last play of the half a nicely weighted chip over the Bath defence led to Billy Twelvetress AKA '36' getting a try to take the Tigers into the changing rooms with a lead of 8-3.

During the break Bath decided to bring David Barnes on for Catt, and although I appreciate scummaging is the job of the whole pack this did seem to trigger us struggling to cope. Despite this it was Bath that started the half the stronger with Joe Maddock showing touches of his undoubted class and Ovens continuing to be a threat. Another penalty to Davis was the reward making it 8-6.

Bath then proceeded to implode and turn a potentially promising evening turn into a bad defeat. A lapse pass from Davis to Jack Cuthbert led to a knock on, which resulted in huge self created pressure. Leicester were camped in the 22 and got themselves into a position for a 5 metre scrum from which Bath conceded a penalty. The hosts decided to scrum again and with Bath on the back foot the ref decided to award a penalty try. I personally would have let this go on longer, and the fact that a few minutes later we won a penalty from a defensive scrum shows we weren't struggling as badly as a penalty try suggests- no huge complaints though. This sequence of play was a great learning point as to how soft, unforced errors lead to the concession of points against top teams.

At 15-6 down Bath made some substitutions with Jonny F on for Browne, and Beast on for Short but this do not really improve matters with the breakdown becoming a disaster area where possession just couldn't be retained. Leicester have obviously been well coached in this area of the game with them limpeting on to the ball at every opportunity- with no Salvi and Watson present Bath seemed unable to rectify this issue. The penalty count against us was going up and up giving Leicester free reign to pile pressure on. This finally told when the very impressive Twelvetrees showed great feet to step his way past two defenders to score a nice try.

In the last 5 minutes there was a sudden outbreak of ambition and players were actually prepared to chance their arm- it's a shame it takes the result being decided for that to happen this season. From a Leicester counter attack Jonny F found an attempted chip in his huge mitts and showed very impressive pace to race down the touchline from 40 yards. Very few backrowers would have scored this try! Bath had one final attack with the score at 22-11 with Ovens making a clean line break yet again. With the clock at zero Lilley threw a 50 50 pass which was always likely to result in a try for one of the teams. Typifying our season really it ended in the hands of Tuilagi and ran in a try from 80 yards making the final score 27-11.

A fairly gutsy display with a few positives but we seem to have a real lack of cutting edge at the moment which is worrying to say the least. We have all tried to establish the reasons for this over the season but last night maybe a midfield of Little, Davis, and Cheeseman just wasn't good enough. I have to admit that I watched Twelvetrees with great envy- how would Bath have fared this season with a guy of this calibre who can play 10, 12, and 13 with aplomb. I wouldn't be surprised to see him near the England squad in the next few years.

From a Bath perspective my man of the match was Josh Ovens. His pace and awareness meant he made line breaks several times and we know how rare these can be in the modern game. The work rate he put in was immense and with some more games to hone his breakdown skills I think he will go a long way. If Salvi does move on I will find it fascinating as to whether Meehan backs the youth of Ovens and Mercer (with Watson another option), and uses the money on other areas of the squad.

Player Ratings
 
Cuthbert- solid display with good basics. maybe lacks a yard of pace to be a real handful in attack. 6
Maddock- not blisteringly quick but beat the first defender every time and has undoubted class. 7
Cheeseman- solid but didn't really offer any threat. 6
Davis- didn't offer the control and passing skills I had hoped for from 12. 6
Crane- never really given an opportunity. Will hope for more ball next week to prove himself. 6
Little- never going to set the world alight but undoubtedly offers composure and reasonable decision making. 6
Bemand- box kicked well and provided good service. 7
 
Catt- encouraging display esp at set piece. Has good skills around the park so maybe a good off season in the gym will have him ready. 7
Dixon- lineout went well and showed good pace. 7
Bell- didn't seem hugely involved but the game time will have benefitted him. 6
Hobson- controlled the lineout well and looks a good prospect. Hobbled off injured which is a worry with Danny banned for 7 weeks. 7
Short- carried well and gave us good physicality. 7
Browne- had some good carries but faded and was replaced. 6
Ovens- my man of the match. 8
Skirving- showed good physicality in both attack and defence which was encouraging. 7

Charlie Sykes

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