Bath Rugby head of rugby Johann van Graan was left to rue missed opportunities at Mattioli Woods Welford Road on Saturday 18th October.
Johann van Graan said Bath Rugby’s match at Leicester Tigers was a fascinating fixture but the result was sickening | Photo © Bath Rugby
The Blue, Black & White led Leicester Tigers 17-7 and had chances to put the game to bed before they edged back in front, 20-19, with seven minutes to go.
But Leicester won the game 22-20 thanks to a last-gasp penalty, inflicting reigning champions Bath’s first league defeat of the season.
“Tough to lose like that, last play of the game, but that’s sport, that’s rugby,” said van Graan.
“I felt they gained the ascendancy in the set-piece battle. We had opportunities in the second half and we didn’t finish. Well done to Leicester.
“It’s always a sickening feeling when you lose it like this, [having been] up by a point away from home.
“The [points difference when the sides met in the 2024-25] final was two points, this was two points.
“It was a good set-piece battle against each other, a really big aerial battle.
“We scored some fantastic tries, we left some opportunities out there in the first half.
“They squeezed us to get ahead and then we fought our way back to go one up. But well done to Leicester.
“A fascinating game of rugby. Sometimes you win it like that, sometimes you lose it like that.
“Ultimately we lost the penalty count and that put us under pressure.
“We’ll go and review it. Obviously we conceded quite a few [penalties] today.
“Never too high, never too low, that kick goes the other way and we win.
“Credit to Leicester. We’ll go and have a look at our performance and crack on next week.”
Van Graan praised second row Ethan Staddon for his performance in the East Midlands.
“I thought he played really well,” said van Graan. “I think he played 68 minutes, so that’s really pleasing from a system point of view.
“But we win together, we lose together, 23-man effort. It’s one of those where you lose by the last kick – it’s a lot better to win by the last kick.”
A special guest at the game was former England captain Lewis Moody MBE, who played for Leicester and Bath during a glittering career.
On Monday 6th October, Moody revealed that he has been diagnosed with motor neurone disease.
He was joined at the Tigers v Bath match by some of his former Leicester team-mates.
Moody said: “It’s so awesome to see the boys here and just to have the support.
“The rugby community is a good one, we always talk it up, but at times like this when you need it they embrace you, they put their arms around you and you feel that warmth and that love – and we certainly feel it today.
“You don’t ever expect news like this [his diagnosis], you don’t understand how you’ll react when it happens.
“But to be invited back to have the opportunity to be here, in one place in one occasion, to just have a bit of fun, it’s wonderful.”
