 | MATCH SUMMARY Leicester 40 (17)
Tries: Varndell 2, Murphy, Jennings
Cons: Goode 4
Pens: Goode 4 Bath 26 (16)
Tries: Higgins, Bory
Cons: Barkley 2
Pens: Barkley 3
Drops: Dunne
|
Leicester ran in four tries and fly-half Andy Goode kicked 20 points to claim a win which condemns Bath to their third straight defeat. The Tigers took early control with Tom Varndell and Geordan Murphy crossing.
But Bath responded and went 23-17 ahead after Andrew Higgins and France wing David Bory touched down.
However the visitors could not hold on as Leicester strolled home with three Goode penalties as well as tries from Varndell and Shane Jennings.
Varndell's brace means he has scored 12 tries in 12 appearances for the Tigers and his electric pace, he has been clocked at 10.8 seconds for 100m, is a real threat to opponents.
His opener came in the first minute when he ran in from the halfway line after snatching a pass from Bath full-back Matt Perry which was intended for Bory.
Varndell also had a role in Leicester's second as reached the ball first after a long kick forward and managed to pass back inside for Murphy to score.
But Bath responded with two interception tries of their own before Leicester closed out victory, Varndell securing his second from Goode's pass.
Leicester head coach Pat Howard:
"Tom's a little bit of work in progress but he's got amazing pace. He's just turned 20 and as an England player he has to be something for the future. "But under the right circumstances you could play him today. You can't match sheer pace and he's fast.
"We know where Bath's strings are with the set pieces and we tried to open it up a bit.
"As a result opportunist tries happen and they happened both ways. I was proud of the guys and the way they had a go at a different style of game."
Bath head coach John Connolly:
"Leicester are a very good side and we made more mistakes than they did. "We made more mistakes with the turnovers, more handling errors and had more penalties against us. That was the difference.
"It's going to be tough against Newcastle next week but we can take some pluses from this performance."
Leicester: Murphy; Varndell, Lloyd, Gibson, Healey; Goode, Ellis; Moreno, Chuter, White; L Deacon, Kay; Johnson, Jennings, Corry (capt).
Replacements:
Smith for Lloyd (56), A Tuilagi for Healey (56), Holford for Moreno (69), Taukafa for Chuter (71).
Not Used: Hamilton, Skinner, Broadfoot.
Bath: Perry; Bory, Higgins, Barkley, Welsh; Dunne, Wood; Barnes, Mears, Stevens; Borthwick, Grewcock (capt); Beattie, Delve, Fea'unati.
Replacements: Finau for Welsh (25), Bell for Stevens (54), Scaysbrook for Delve (54).
Not Used: Dixon, Hudson, Walshe, Davis.
Att: 16,815
Ref: Chris White (RFU).
MMIX
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