Leeds Carnegie 16 Bath 32: Ruthless Bath put listless Leeds to the sword

Perspective is lost with nothing serious having gone before but the sense of deflation at Headingley yesterday was palpable as Leeds Carnegie's expectations for the season were pricked by a free-flowing Bath, who scored three second-half tries without ever reaching, or needing to find, top gear.

Much is expected of big spending Bath this season, following their storming finish to last season and a summer of high-profile recruitment.

Leeds entered the 2010/11 campaign with similar optimism, though, perhaps without as much external expectation.

Internally the anticipation is high, that a year spent fighting relegation last term will not be repeated. Summer recruitment of international-quality players is perceived sufficient to help them on their way, but after matching Bath in the first half, their second-half surrender was meek.

Their fighting spirit was evident when debutant Steve Thompson scored their only try before the last tick of the clock, but by then the game was up and Leeds's season had begun with a heavy defeat.

An attendance of 5,509 – 2,000 down on last season's corresponding fixture – will also be a concern to the Carnegie money men who have frozen the club's 1.5m debt in the hope that success on the pitch and on the terraces can offset their gamble.

Bath have no such financial worries, with a wealthy backer in Bruce Craig who has added heavyweight names like Lewis Moody, Sam Vesty and Simon Taylor to already established stars like Nick Abendanon, Matt Banahan and Shontayne Hape.

Moody was kept relatively quiet, but Leeds had no response to the powerful Taylor, the evasive Vesty, and the strong-running Abendanon.

Leeds – sporting seven new debutants in the matchday 23, five of whom began the game – did retain some of their forward strengths of last season, particularly in their lineout and scrummaging.

Tom Denton and Kearnan Myall both stole early Lee Mears lineouts and Leeds's Argentinian-born props Juan Gomez and debutant Miguel Alonso forced Bath into a handful of scrummaging errors, but making use of turnover ball is the difference between mere survival and a top-six push and save for the occasional intricate move, Leeds could not muster enough cutting edge to stretch the visitors.

They showed sporadic deftness in attack with debutants Michael Stephenson, Lachlan Mackay and Semi Tadulala offering neat touches, but none of them could make a significant mark.

Ceiron Thomas was one of the stars of last season but showed his early-season rustiness with a hit-and-miss kicking game that yielded Leeds's nine first-half points – including a long-range drop goal – before he departed the fray with a stinger injury.

The closest Leeds came before Thompson's consolation was when Marco Wentzel rampaged through but surrendered possession with no support runners, and when Lee Blackett was held up on the line after an incisive reverse pass from Scott Mathie.

Bath's England centres Banahan and Hape expertly crafted the first half's only try for Abendanon to barge over in the corner, with Vesty's conversion and an earlier penalty enabling Bath to hold the slenderest of half-time advantages.

Having established themselves as more than a match for their much-vaunted opponents, Leeds shot themselves in the foot in the second half when firstly Vesty was allowed to trot through for the simplest of tries with Thomas and Blackett guilty of ball watching.

Thomas compounded the error moments later by missing a penalty, and all of a sudden, Leeds looked ragged. Stephenson sliced a clearance kick horribly and then a good move set in motion by Thompson – debuting as a replacement for Andy Titterrell – came to nothing when the otherwise impressive Mackay released Tadulala with a forward pass.

The pendulum swung irretrievably when Carraro bounded through for a third Bath try with Leeds players appealing for a penalty against Claasens for a blatant forward pass.

Bath's bonus-point try arrived when visiting captain Luke Watson stole down the blindside of a scrum and squeezed over before Thompson marked his debut with a try that at least suggests Leeds's spirit in this new season remains as strong as ever.

Leeds Carnegie: Stephenson, Blackett (Hinton 65), Burrell, Mackay, Tadulala, Thomas (Barrow 53), Mathie (Fury 63); Alonso (Hardy 63), Titterrell (Thompson 50), Gomez (Swainston 54), Denton, Wentzel (Oakley 72), Myall, Fourie (To'oala 56), Browne.

Bath: Abendanon, (Cuthbert 63) Carraro, Banahan, Hape, Biggs (McMillan 71), Vesty, Claasens; Flatman (Catt 55), Mears (Dixon 65), Wilson (Bell 65), Hooper, Grewcock (Skirving 65), Taylor, Moody (Beattie 65), Watson. Unused replacement: Roberts.

Referee: JP Doyle.

Scorers

Leeds: tries Thompson; cons Hinton; pens Thomas 2; drop goal Thomas.

Bath: tries Abedanon, Vesty, Carraro, Watson; cons Vesty 3; pens Vesty 2.

MATCH FOCUS

Hero: Kearnan Myall

As a forward pack Leeds were their usual destructive self. Kearnan Myall epitomised that with his usual determined performance. One incident where he outjumped an on-rushing Abendanon, right, to claim a high kick from Mathie showed his bravery.

Villain: Sam Vesty

Nick Abendanon was the key man in the first half but as Bath cut loose in the second it was the summer recruit from Leicester, Vesty, who took centre stage, scoring one and influencing another try.

Key moment

49th minute: Sam Vesty strolls through untouched to spark three second-half tries from ruthless Bath.

Ref watch

JP Doyle: Somehow missed Michael Claasens's blatant forward pass for the third try but otherwise fine.

Verdict

Only the first game but that defensive sloppiness has to be eradicated. An attendance that was no improvement on last year's average is also a worry.

Next game

Gloucester, away, Premiership, Saturday, September 11, 3.00pm.

Quote of the day

Matt Banahan's team-mates say he's got the 'tekkers' for that position.

– Bath head coach Steve Meehan borrows a line from Soccer AM to describe the England winger's switch to the centre.