Email Article | | Print Article | Click here for a Free ?50.00 Rugby bet
Article Published: Saturday 10 March 2012Leicester Tigers held on to win their Anglo Welsh LV Cup Semi-final clash by beating Bath 16-17 at The Recreation Ground in Bath on Friday.
The result means that Leicester Tigers will meet the winner of Sunday's other Semi-final between Northampton Saints and the Scarlets in the Anglo Welsh LV Cup final.
Leicester Tigers took the bold move of naming a young second string team for this match but the decision paid off.
The opening points of a breathless first quarter came on 18 minutes when another kick-chase led to a penalty and Ford made no mistake with the kick from 30 metres out.
Ford then produced a superb kick to pin back Bath and the hosts made a mistake at the line-out near their own line. When prop Charlie Beech lost possession under pressure from Julian White, Tigers lock Graham Kitchener dropped on the loose ball to score. Ford missed the conversion as Leicester led 8-0.
Fly-half Tom Heathcote got Bath off the mark with a 35-metre penalty after 24 minutes as the game continued to swing in the favour of one side and then the other.
Then Bath claimed the lead for the first time just after the half-hour with a converted try. A line-out on the left provided the platform and a sweeping attack, led by a 40-metre charge from Matt Carraro, took them within range of the tryline, the ball eventually coming to the right for hooker Lee Mears to dart between two defenders to score. Heathcote added a testing kick from out wide to give the hosts a 10-8 advantage.
The home crowd almost had more cause for celebration moments later as a sharp attack on halfway set Matt Banahan into space but, when he kicked ahead, Ford read the bounce of the ball and kept his cool to clear.
Bath enjoyed their best spell in the closing 10 minutes of the half, using Carraro and Banahan to crash the ball up in midfield, and the offloading game among the forwards to keep Tigers on the back foot.
They created two more chances on the right before the half closed with Tigers scrum-half James Grindal winning turnover ball at a close-range scrum and the visitors protecting possession as the clock kicked down to the break.
The home side almost had a dream start to the second half when Scott Hamilton's miscued kick gave away possession on halfway and Bath's Biggs got his side in dangerous territory. The ball was flun to the right butm, with men over, it drifted into touch.
The pressure was unrelenting though as Mears and Banahan got within reach of the tryline, but spirited defence kept Tigers in the game, eventually winning turnover ball near the 22.
Tigers won a penalty at the scrum and, after Ford had taken play up to halfway, international props Logoviii Mulipola and Marcos Ayerza replaced Boris Stankovich and White.
They were rewarded with a penalty at their opening scrum, giving Ford an opportunity to regain the lead with a kick from 35 metres. A big cheer from the travelling support signaled its success as Tigers regained the lead at 11-10.
But it was shortlived, though, when Biggs capitalised on a loose pass from Newby and, when Bath were awarded a penalty on the left, Heathcote struck it well to make it 13-11 to the home side.
The see-saw fortunes continued as Tigers were awarded a penalty from the restart after obstruction in the Bath forwards and Ford struck the kick to make it 14-13.
Back Bath game yet again, with Heathcote nailing a penalty in front of the posts after Kitchener had been penalised at a ruck. And they almost added to it with replacement Jack Cuthbert powering his way up to the 22 and kicking in behind, only for Twelvetrees to rescue Tigers with a race to the ball and then the composure to set up a clearing kick.
Thomas Waldrom and Julian Salvi entered the fray, replacing Ben Pienaar and Newby in the Tigers pack, but Bath had the next opportunity, gaining a penalty at a scrum close to halfway. But Heathcote was unable to maintain his 100-per-cent record, pushing the kick wide.
Steve Mafi had the away support on their feet moments later, cropping up in midfield and gaining vital metres, before Salvi and Mulipola carried into the Bath 22. But Tigers were whistled by referee Dave Pearson just as they looked to gain promosing territory.
Matt Smith replaced Andy Forsyth in the backline before play restarted, but there was no let-up in the pace of the game, both sides looking for the vital score.
The heavyweight contest at the scrum continued, with Bath celebrating prematurely when the referee's whistle blew, only to point first their way then to Tigers after a word from his assistant.
Ford remained the coolest man on the pitch to make it 17-16 to Tigers.
Barely a minute later, though, Bath were given their own chance when Twelvetrees was penalised for taking a man off the ball as Banahan looked to pass. Heathcote, though, hooked horribly wide from wide on the right.
Agulla almost produced a try out of nothing in response, taking a catch on his 10-metre line and racing 50 metres upfield before being tackled into touch barely five metres short.
Bath struggled to clear their lines, Mafi charging down a kick from Michael Claassens, Mulipola thumping the ball up twice and the Tigers forwards retaining both possession and composure as the clock ticked down to the last three minutes.
A series of reset scrums took the clock down to 90 seconds remaining before Tigers were penalised. Barkley kicked to touch, gaining the throw-in on the Bath 10-metre line.
Ball off the top got Bath going forward again but Carraro knocked-on as he met the Tigers defence and Tigers cleared into touch with time up. But there was one more chance as Bath recycled ball in midfield, only for referee Pearson to blow for a penalty.
Ford's punt into the crowd drew cheers from the away supporters and sealed a place in the final of the competition for the first time since 2008.
Final Score Bath 16 (10) Leicester 17 (8)
Scorers
Bath
Tries: Mears
Penalties: Heathcote 3
Conversions: Heathcote
Leicester Tigers
Tries: Kitchener
Penalties: Ford 4
Teams
Bath Rugby
15. Sam Vesty , 14. Matt Banahan , 13. Matt Carraro , 12. Olly Barkley , 11. Tom Biggs , 10. Tom Heathcote , 9. Michael Claassens , 1. Charlie Beech , 2. Lee Mears , 3. Duncan Bell , 4. Dave Attwood , 5. Ryan Caldwell , 6. Ben Skirving , 7. Francois Louw (c) , 8. Simon Taylor
Replacements:16. Pieter Dixon , 17. David Flatman , 18. Anthony Perenise , 19. Guy Mercer , 20. Carl Fearns , 21. Chris Cook , 22. Olly Woodburn , 23. Jack Cuthbert
Leicester Tigers
15 Scott Hamilton , 14 Horacio Agulla , 13 Andy Forsyth , 12 Billy Twelvetreees , 11 Alex Lewington , 10 George Ford , 9 James Grindal , 1 Boris Stankovich , 2 Rob Hawkins , 3 Julian White , 4 Calum Green , 5 Graham Kitchener , 6 Steve Mafi , 7 Craig Newby (c) , 8 Ben Pienaar
Replacements , 16 Tom Youngs , 17 Marcos Ayerza , 18 Logoviii Mulipola , 19 Julian Salvi , 20 Thomas Waldrom , 21 Scott Steele , 22 Jeremy Staunton , 23 Matt Smith
Louis Vuitton Handbags
Louis Vuitton Outlet
lv bags
没有评论:
发表评论