Third time lucky for Bath? After two semi‑final play-off defeats in two seasons there is a growing sense beside the River Avon that Steve Meehan's men are running hot at the perfect moment. Eleven wins in 12 Premiership games have bred visible confidence ahead of Sunday's sudden-death eliminator in Leicester. "We're certainly in better shape than this time last year," said Meehan, trying hard not to lick his lips in public.
Bath's on-field swagger is impossible to disguise. The five tries they scored on Saturday confirmed them as the league's top try-scorers with 49, a distant prospect at Christmas, when they seemed in deep relegation trouble. If beating a laissez-faire Leeds was hardly the toughest challenge, the visitors' coach, Neil Back, is now among those backing his old foes to go all the way and win the title.
Given that it is 14 years since Bath last won the Courage League – as it was then called – a sense of perspective is necessary. But as their forwards offloaded for fun and the deft hands of Michael Claassens, Butch James and Olly Barkley released the strong runners outside it was hard not to conclude that at the very least the Tigers will have to earn their stripes this weekend. Bath did lose 43-20 at Welford Road last month, but Danny Grewcock, Luke Watson, David Flatman and Davy Wilson were not among their starters. If those forwards can get a grip against the Tigers, there will be definite hope.
Meehan's only job is to remind everyone not to tighten up on the big occasion. "We have to be true to ourselves," said the Australian, who is blessed with few injury concerns other than the rib damage which forced the hooker Lee Mears off in the first quarter. "We've got to relax and treat it as another Premiership match. We also want to go up there and play to our potential. We didn't do that at the start of April."
Central to their prospects will be the 8-9-10-12 axis of three South Africans – Watson, Claassens and James – and Barkley, who is on the verge of an England recall this summer. "If I was part of the selection committee he'd be a certainty," said Meehan. "I think the 12 months he had away [at Gloucester] has done him a hell of a lot of good."
Another influential performance on Saturday underlined the positive influence Barkley is having on others. After a slightly nervous start Nick Abendanon revelled in the space around him and the full-back's second try, involving a glorious dummy and spinning touchline sprint past Kearnan Myall, was a classic.
With the new owner, Bruce Craig, pondering whether to expand the club's brains trust – informal discussions have been held with Ian McGeechan and Dave Alred – the future looks promising. If there was a downbeat note it was provided by Joe Maddock's confirmation that he is to leave, with Italy his next stop. The New Zealander ceased to be among the most underrated wingers in the Premiership a while ago and after six tries in his last five matches he will be missed.
Eight to 10 new players are expected at Headingley. "What we have to do is establish ourselves in the top six so that players can see they don't need to move on," said Andy Key, the club's director of rugby. It was just as well their survival hopes did not hinge on this fixture, but their fortitude over the course of the season should not be underestimated.
Bath Abendanon (Carraro, 65); Maddock, Hape, Barkley, Banahan; James (Davis, 62), Claassens (capt; Baxter, 74); Flatman (Catt, 68), Mears (Dixon, 11), Wilson (Jarvis, 68), Hooper (Short, 52), Grewcock, Beattie, Salvi, Watson (Skirving, 65).
Tries Abendanon 2, Claassens, Banahan, Maddock Cons Barkley 4 Pens Barkley 2.
Leeds Carnegie Goodridge; Welding (J Ford, 69), Burrell, Rabeni, Blackett (Paul 75); Thomas, Gomarsall (Mathie, 46); MacDonald (Hardy, 66), Titterrell, Gomez (Swainston, 18; Moreno, 79), Lund, Wentzel (capt), Myall, Oakley (Pendlebury, 66), To'oala (Denton, 52).
Pen Thomas. Sin-bin Gomarsall, 19
Referee: M Fox (Leicestershire; D Rose, Warwickshire, 32). Attendance 11,700.
