Bath 39 Leeds Carnegie 3: Survivors Leeds fall flat as Bath reach play-offs

LEEDS' long trip produced a solitary penalty from Ceiron Thomas and rugby director Andy Key had no complaints about the outcome as Carnegie's successful season ended in defeat.

"We had achieved our objective (avoiding relegation) weeks ago, but there is still a lot of pride in this team and we recognise it was important to come down here and put up a good performance," he said.

"Unfortunately, that didn't happen but we did not come here to make the numbers up."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Key also believes that Bath deserve their place in the play-offs, which they will contest along with Leicester, Northampton and Saracens.

"Bath are a worthy top-four team, and there is no doubt that the top four teams deserve to be in the play-offs. They are playing a good brand of rugby, and when they get their off-loading game going, it is very impressive."

Steve Meehan will urge his Bath team to relax when they enter the white hot atmosphere of a Premiership play-off against champions Leicester.

Bath's 11th victory from their last 12 Premiership matches – back on January 2 they needed a win over Leeds at Headingley to avoid dropping to the foot of the table – booked a semi-final appointment with the Tigers at Welford Road.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bath scored five tries, including a double from full-back Nick Abendanon, and although they lost 43-20 at Leicester just a month ago, they can travel with confidence.

"We have got to relax a bit more than when we went up there last month," said head coach Meehan. "We seemed to be a bit tense going into the game on that occasion.

"We are in better shape than when we were up there last season, and we want to go there and play to our potential."

Bath suffered Heineken Cup and play-off agony away to Leicester last term, but they need to end that sequence in their quest to keep alive chances of a first league title since 1996.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Leeds had no answer to a Bath team that won without ever threatening to find top gear.

Abendanon was followed over the line by wing Joe Maddock, Matt Banahan and captain Michael Claassens, and centre Olly Barkley made another pressing selection claim ahead of England's summer tour to Australia and New Zealand by kicking 14 points.

Barkley was also instrumental in creating several of Bath's more dangerous attacks, and Meehan added: "He would be a certainty for the tour if I was on England's selection committee.

"I think the 12 months he had away from here (when Barkley played for Gloucester) has done him a hell of a lot of good."

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

First-half tries by Abendanon and Claassens sent Bath on their way to victory and a 17-point interval advantage was comfortably extended after the break.

England squad member Shontayne Hape lined up in Bath's midfield hoping to press his claims for the summer tour before Martin Johnson's squad announcement tomorrow.

Leeds fielded 13 of the side that secured Premiership safety by condemning Worcester to last place with their narrow victory over them a fortnight ago.

Former England international Andy Gomarsall played his last game before retirement and Erik Lund donned a Leeds shirt for the final time before heading to Biarritz.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Joe Ford, who is bound for Northampton, was an unused replacement.

Maddock led Bath out on his final home appearance before moving to Italy next term, but they suffered an early injury blow when England hooker Lee Mears went off injured.

Mears was replaced by South African Pieter Dixon, and Bath took time to settle as Leeds forced them into a number of handling errors.

It was a prelude to Bath breaking the deadlock as they made their temporary one-man advantage count after Gomarsall was sin-binned for a technical infringement.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bath retained field position after Grewcock's near miss, and quickly recycled possession enabling Abendanon to cross, with Barkley converting.

Leeds were struggling to keep Bath out, and Barkley's penalty made it 10-0 ahead of an injury to referee Martin Fox that saw him replaced by David Rose.

Bath, without ever threatening to find top gear, extended their lead as Claassens shredded Leeds' blindside defence.

Barkley converted, and Leeds, down and out at 17-0 adrift, had no answer in the second period, as they were unlocked by Barkley's midfield craft.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Bath: Abendanon (Carraro 65), Maddock, Hape, Barkley, Banahan, James (Davis 62), Claassens; Flatman (Catt 68), Mears (Dixon 11), Wilson (Jarvis 68), Hooper (Short 52), Grewcock, Beattie, Salvi, Watson (Skirving 65). Unused replacement: Baxter.

Leeds Carnegie: Goodridge, Welding (H Paul 22), Burrell, Rabeni, Blackett, Thomas, Gomarsall (Mathie 44); MacDonald (Hardy 65), Titterrell, Gomez (Swainston 17, Moreno 80), Lund, Wentzel, Myall, Oakley (Pendlebury 65), To'oala (Denton 52). Unused replacement: Ford.

Referee: M Fox (RFU).

Related topics: