Guy Pepper sinks sloppy Leicester as Bath underline task facing Cheika

Michael Cheika was given a reminder of the size of the task ahead as his Leicester team were made to pay for their mistakes by Bath on his first home match in charge. Guy Pepper’s second-half try proved decisive for the visitors, who continue to live up to pre-season expectations by grinding out a hard-fought win.

Had Ollie Hassell-Collins not dropped a desperate clanger, losing control of the ball as he went to place it down for a try, things might have been different but he was not the only error-prone Tiger on a deflating afternoon. There was plenty of spirit and endeavour and a strong set-piece but the skill level was lacking, just as was the case last season.

It will concern the Tigers, too, just how many empty seats were on show. The nearby King Power Stadium was playing host to Leicester’s Women’s Super League match with Arsenal. Premiership officials consider women’s football as one of the closest competitors when it comes to attracting eyeballs and on this evidence the Tigers have some work to do to win them back. Bath, for their part, were far from flawless but with Will Muir and Tom de Glanville also registering tries , they were worthy winners.

Bath began the brighter and twice they battered away at the line but on both occasions Leicester held firm. A pinpoint 50:22 from fly-half Jamie Shillcock relieved the pressure and gave Leicester the chance to knock away at the Bath line. The visitors, too, resisted and when Joe Cokanasiga booted the ball clear he was caught late and high by Izaia Perese. Cokanasiga went off for a HIA and did not return while Perese was shown a yellow card.

Despite their numerical disadvantage Leicester really ought to have scored the opening try when Hanro Liebenberg put Hassell-Collins away down the left after some neat interplay by the Tigers backs. The former London Irish wing, who has not hit the heights he would have hoped for since arriving at Welford Road, proceeded to spill the ball as he went to dot down.

With Olly Cracknell’s fearsome carrying catching the eye, Leicester did at least open the scoring with a Shillock penalty but the first try belonged to Bath after a piercing break from the centre Will Butt, who continued his impressive start to the season. His floated pass to Ollie Lawrence was wayward but Butt did superbly well to gather and offload to Muir, who had the pace to get to the corner.

Back came Leicester before the interval, with Jack van Poortvliet’s weaving break up the middle coming after an errant long kick from Finn Russell. The scrum-half had far too much space to run into – perhaps a product of “Dupont’s Law”, which now prevents players lurking offside to close in on the player receiving the kick – and he took his side into the Bath 22. The ball was recycled and Van Poortvliet stepped his way past opposite number Ben Spencer and under the posts.

The second half continued in a similar vein. Bath lost Muir to a nasty-looking leg injury, forcing the flanker Josh Bayliss on to the left wing, but the visitors pulled level at 10-10 with a lovely strike move from a scrum deep in the Bath 22. De Glanville finished it off after slick passing from Russell and Orlando Bailey. Russell missed the conversion to keep the sides level on the scoreboard but Pepper forced his way over from close range – the tireless flanker leaping off the deck to go again after his first effort was repelled – just as Leicester were threatening to get the upper hand as a result of their set-piece dominance.

Russell had the chance to extend Bath’s lead after Kyle Hatherell gave away an unnecessary penalty and though he was off target, Spencer assumed kicking duties with a much easier effort to give the visitors breathing space. Dan Cole’s close-range score with a minute to go made for a grandstand finish but there was to be no comeback this time for Leicester after Hatherell knocked on from the restart.