Bath v Leicester Tigers has been one of the defining rivalries in English club rugby, and this will go to a whole new level this weekend at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.
While they might not be local rivals, with 130 miles between the Rec and Mattioli Woods Welford Road, the teams are certainly bitter enemies given their respective title battles in years gone by.
Bath and Leicester have won a whopping 17 Premiership titles between them (Bath six, Leicester 11) and have also finished runner-up on a combined 13 occasions too (Bath six, Leicester seven), but that record alone just shows where the clubs are.
This historic rivalry, similar to that of Manchester United and Arsenal or Chelsea and Liverpool, will only add extra fuel to an already highly anticipated final.
The two teams ended the regular season first and second in the league, respectively, with Bath ending a healthy 11 points above Leicester, yet they both had to dip into the well to win their semi-finals.
Bath were pushed all the way by an angry, pumped-up Bristol Bears last Friday night at the Rec. Pat Lam’s side took a stunning 13-6 lead at one point, but the power of the Bath bench guided them to a 34-20 win come the final whistle.
Leicester, too, were made to fight for it against Sale Sharks a day later. Michael Cheika’s side seemed in cruise control at half-time as they led 13-3; however, Sale mounted a strong comeback to make it a nervy ending in the East Midlands. But, in the end, Leicester held them at bay thanks to a wonder try from replacement Izaia Perese.
These semi-finals have only served to whet the appetite for a spectacular showpiece in South West London on Saturday, which is again expected to draw in a sell-out crowd.
Where the game will be won
As with any match involving Bath, the impact of the respective benches will define the game. Bath’s bomb squad, in whatever guise it takes or whatever personnel have been included, has become a staple of their game plan and quickly proved incredibly effective in powering the Blue, Black and Whites over the line this season. As Johann van Graan has previously disclosed to Planet Rugby, he has worked out a formula to deploy his bomb squad at just the right time, be it to close out a win, run away with a bonus point or even claw his side back from behind and turn the game on its head, so the challenge is if Leicester can meet fire with fire.
The Tigers’ replacements have shown serious power of their own, though, particularly in their semi-final win over Sale, but they will need to step up even more this weekend if they want to neutralise their efforts.
Last time they met
What they said
Bath boss Van Graan has reaffirmed his side will ‘stick to process’ ahead of the final, but still wants his side to enjoy the match.
“I think it’s valuable [having been in the final last year] but I wouldn’t use the word experience,” he told Somerset Live. “I’d say we as a group are going through moments in time together. Last season, we said in the final week that we were going to enjoy it, which we did. We loved walking into Twickenham; what an experience that was.
“We’ll stick to the same process this week. A final is a one-off. Speaking to the coaches earlier today, we had a quiet moment, saying, ‘If you don’t come through today, that’s it. The season’s done. Then you fall short.’ Whereas if you go to the final next Saturday afternoon at whatever time, you’re either going to win the Premiership or you’re going to lose in the final. That’s the reality of sport.
“But now, it’s one more week, and we’ll absolutely love it because, ultimately, if you don’t enjoy days like today and weeks like next week, then get something else to do. Personally, I love it, and this group of staff and players really love it.”
Leicester counterpart Cheika added that his players needed to find a balance between emotions and rugby ahead of the showpiece final.
“Who knows really. It’s a different challenge every week. But as far as having a shot at it – we’re still here. But that’s not the objective,” the former Wallabies boss told the media.
“The objective is to get ourselves in a frame of mind that we’re going in with a good plan and a strong belief that we will be able to deliver that.
“Most of these guys are extremely driven internally. You work hard to get yourself in a position to win the title so if you’re there you’d be mad not to take it wouldn’t you?
“Together we’ve improved our mental preparation and our mental side of our game. That resilience.
“It’s about being able to balance what is the emotional part and what is the technical part.
As alluded to earlier, Leicester and Bath is one of the most historic rivalries in English club rugby, and while Cheika admitted he won’t be leaning too much on that in the build-up he still feels it’s an important narrative heading into the game.
“It’s not irrelevant but I wouldn’t lean into it, no. Look, history is super important, it’s the reason I came here. The history and the reputation of this club.
“That whole thing has proven to be a good decision as the relationships I’ve had between players, with supporters and playing at the ground has been unreal.
“We would like to achieve this for our past players, our future players, our fans, our families and all that. That history is extremely important. It’s the reason why you want to play for a club, even in the professional era.
Players to watch
As you would expect with a game of this magnitude and teams the size of Bath and Leicester, talent is littered across the pitch.
For Bath, star scrum-half Ben Spencer has a big game on his hands if he wants to lift the trophy at the full-time whistle. He has proved so effective in this side, alongside fellow half-back Finn Russell, and his leadership skills will also need to come to the fore.
Elsewhere in the Bath backline, Max Ojomoh‘s powerful strike running adds a lovely edge to this attack, and his synergy with Russell and Spencer brings the best out in all of them. Will Muir is also going to need another impressive display, given his opposite number’s form. The winger has taken a huge step forward this campaign, both in his own game but also in his role within this squad and is now at the forefront of their attacking gameplan.
Bath are also spoiled for riches in the front-row, with Beno Obano, Tom Dunn, Will Stuart and Thomas du Toit all in career-best form this season. This unit, be it from the start or even off the bench, have been unbelievable in the scrum all season and just as effective in the loose too, and should again be ones to keep an eye on.
The back-row is also a real area of strength, with Guy Pepper, Ted Hill, Alfie Barbeary and Miles Reid in particular expected to have a major effect on proceedings.
For Leicester, the in-form wing duo Ollie Hassell-Collins and Adam Radwan will look to cause plenty of problems for the Bath defence. The pair have both developed this ability to be in exactly the right place at exactly the right time to score a try, but combine that with classy fundamentals and genuine X-factor ability as well.
Jack van Poortvliet is also becoming an increasingly important leader within this Leicester side, but around that, his ability to snipe around the ruck could be a real asset to their attack. Fellow England international Freddie Steward is another who has really taken his game on this year, particularly ball-in-hand, and that should again be utilised.
Up front, Olly Cracknell’s industrious work in the tight will help set the platform for them to play off, and back-row colleagues Tommy Reffell and Hanro Liebenberg will also have a huge effect on the game, given their recent run of form.
We also cannot ignore the key leavers, in the form of Ben Youngs, Dan Cole, Julian Montoya and Handre Pollard, who have been one of the emotional drivers behind this run to the final. It would be a fitting end to their time with the Tigers should they lift the trophy.
Main head-to-head
The benches will certainly be a fascinating battle to watch out for, but there’s no escaping the shootout between fly-halves Finn Russell and Handre Pollard.
Both men are among the premier number 10s in the world game, let alone the Premiership, and this head-to-head will be an exceptional watch.
The respective half-backs have both meticulously built their team’s structures to perfection during their stints, and in this game, they almost serve as complete opposites. Russell’s style is to play fast and into space whenever a chance presents itself, but it’s not risky; it’s actually incredibly calculated. Alongside fellow half-back Spencer, Russell manipulates the defence into thinking one thing before then pulling the trigger and hitting strike runners at the exact moment to break the gainline.
For all of Russell’s flair and flamboyance, Leicester counterpart Pollard is the quintessential distributor. His style is to pull the strings to build an attack gradually up the pitch, either by shifting it onto his powerful centres or kicking to send Hassell-Collins, Radwan or Steward into the air to compete. Pollard is more of a metronome to this Leicester attack, keeping the steady rhythm and allowing them to work up the field, but it’s proved incredibly effective this season. The Springbok is also the perfect final player, as proved in the 2019 and 2023 World Cup finals, and that could be massive.
Around their play, too, their kicking off the tee could be the difference come the end of the game. Pollard, who had an off day last weekend, has proved to be ice-cold in games like this, with his boot firing the Springboks to back-to-back World Cup titles. Russell can be hot and cold off the tee; however, since the Six Nations has really worked on his goal-kicking and has found his best form at a great time.
Prediction
The occasion should bring the best out of both sides, but Bath have seemed champions-elect throughout the campaign, and you’d back them to finally end their wait for Premiership glory this weekend. Van Graan’s bomb squad has proved time and time again it can just blow teams away with ease, something Leicester have fallen victim to in the past month or so as well, and it should again prove too much to handle on the hallowed Twickenham turf. It will be a lot closer than their most recent meeting, but either way, it should be Bath lifting the trophy come the final whistle after a 10-point win.
Previous results
2025: Bath won 43-15 at the Recreation Ground
2024: Bath won 20-15 at Mattioli Woods Welford Road
2023: Leicester Tigers won 35-22 at Mattioli Woods Welford Road
2023: Leicester Tigers won 25-24 at the Recreation Ground
2023: Leicester Tigers won 48-27 at Mattioli Woods Welford Road
2022: Bath won 19-18 at the Recreation Ground
2022: Leicester Tigers won 24-20 at the Recreation Ground
2021: Leicester Tigers won 40-23 at Mattioli Woods Welford Road
2021: Bath won 21-20 at the Recreation Ground
2021: Leicester Tigers won 36-31 ar Mattioli Woods Welford Road
The teams
Bath: 15 Tom de Glanville, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Max Ojomoh, 12 Cameron Redpath, 11 Will Muir, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben Spencer, 8 Miles Reid, 7 Guy Pepper, 6 Ted Hill, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Quinn Roux, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Beno Obano
Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ross Moloney, 20 Josh Bayliss, 21 Tom Carr-Smith, 22 Ciaran Donoghue, 23 Alfie Barbeary
Leicester Tigers: 15 Freddie Steward, 14 Adam Radwan, 13 Solomone Kata, 12 Joseph Woodward, 11 Ollie Hassell-Collins, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Jack van Poortvliet, 8 Olly Cracknell, 7 Tommy Reffell, 6 Hanro Liebenberg, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Cameron Henderson, 3 Joe Heyes, 2 Julian Montoya, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements: 16 Charlie Clare, 17 James Cronin, 18 Dan Cole, 19 Matt Rogerson, 20 Emeka Ilione, 21 Ben Youngs, 22 Ben Volavola, 23 Izaia Perese
Venue: Allianz Stadium, Twickenham
Kick-off: 15:00 BST (14:00 GMT)
Referee: Karl Dickson
Assistant Referees: Luke Pearce & Adam Leal
TMO: Ian Tempest
Live on: ITV1, ITVX, TNT Sports 1, TNT Sports Ultimate, discovery+, STV and STV Player
READ MORE: Bath v Leicester Tigers: 10 key stats ahead of the Premiership Final
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/premiership-final-preview-champions-elect-bath-to-end-long-wait-as-bomb-squad-blasts-past-leicester-tigers
