Searle's Final-Second Penalty Secures Emotional Tigers Win Against Bath

Amidst one of rugby union's most storied rivalries, the match between Leicester and the visitors proved to be as much about the emotion at the interval than any on-field action on play.

The legendary Martin Johnson led a phalanx comprising Tigers old boys to pay tribute to the great Lewis Moody, who has revealed that he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.

When Moody last pulled on a Leicester jersey at Welford Road, a decade and a half past, before moving to Bath for his final two seasons in a distinguished playing career, the home side remained close to their very best, while Bath were situated enduring a lengthy period devoid of championship success. Times have changed since. Bath arrived as champions, the first time they've held that status in over two decades.

A Truly Passionate Reception on Home Turf

Leicester, on a wave of emotion, served up a classic, robust reception, relishing their status as the unfancied team on their own pitch, the large home crowd further emboldened by Moody’s confession at half-time that, no matter where he may live, this famous ground will always be his rugby home.

Looking back, Bath did not stand a chance. True to form, during a final, desperate attack on the Bath line, Leicester won one last penalty out of the Bath defence.

The Climax

Billy Searle, who replaced the excellent James O’Connor, the experienced Wallaby making his debut start for the club, took a quick tap, before Thomas du Toit caught him high, an infringement for which he received a yellow card. With the last kick, Searle slotted the penalty kick on an angle to snatch a dramatic victory.

It felt like being transported back to Lewis Moody's prime. Without a doubt, the home team, who moved up the table in the mid-table bun fight, can take great encouragement that their traditional, direct approach remains effective, no matter the pedigree of the opponent.

Contrasting Game Plans

The visitors were a different class with ball in hand. Therefore, Leicester, following a confusing opening period which saw them trail 17-7, adapted to starve them of possession. A deluge of penalties conceded by Bath kept Bath under constant pressure, their forwards thoroughly outplayed in the scrums and lineouts throughout the game.

Leicester’s three tries were remarkably similar, neither scored from more than a yard; Bath’s three were studies in poetry. Dan Frost, Sam Underhill and Cameron Redpath scored the tries, before and after Cracknell's score for Tigers. Then, on the back of those penalties, Reffell and Smith forced their way over to score either side of half-time.

A Tense Finish

That earned Tigers the lead, which they held for most of the second half. It appeared inevitable before Bath secured sufficient possession to grab a fourth try. Actually, their scoring opportunity came with a rare penalty in the scrum, their South Africans by then on. The fly-half, after missing two earlier kicks, successfully converted the penalty with a little less than 10 minutes to play.

That only inspired Leicester to launch one final, powerful assault, set up by the lively Ollie Hassell-Collins down the left. After earning the penalty that earned Bath the lead where he is most comfortable, poor Du Toit conceded where he is not. There could be only one result.