In the final reckoning it was Leicester’s Jamie Shillcock who edged a thrilling duel of the fly-halves against Finn Russell of Bath. Shillcock stood over a penalty with the clock in the red and clipped the decisive kick through the pouring rain – and through the posts – to vault the Tigers off the bottom of the Premiership table.
Leicester’s season is up and running before the return of their international contingent thanks to six penalties and a conversion in an outstanding display from Shillcock. A losing bonus point means Johann van Graan’s resurgent Bath stay top, one point ahead of Exeter, but they were seconds away from making it three wins out of three.
Asked what was going through his mind before that dramatic and decisive kick, Shillcock said: “Panic. Instant panic, and then a bit of relief when it went over. It was probably the best strike of the day for me, the best kick I hit. I’ve missed a couple of those in the last 18 months and it’s nice to win a game at the death, for a change, rather than lose it.”
Heavy rain had rolled in at kick-off, and an attritional afternoon clearly lay ahead. It did not seem the ideal day for Russell to showcase his considerable skills but he capitalised superbly on an attacking scrum by picking out Will Muir with a pinpoint cross-kick. The wing did an admirable job to cling on to the soaking ball and dive over.
Russell missed the conversion and Shillcock ruthlessly punished Bath with a 50-metre penalty after a neck-roll by Ben Spencer on Tommy Reffell, returning from World Cup duty with Wales. When a scrum penalty came right in front of the posts, Shillcock made Bath pay again, while Russell missed a long-range drop goal just before half-time. Bath trailed by a point.
The home captain, Josh McNally, opened the second period by conceding a penalty on halfway for illegally stepping into a ruck. The referee, Jack Makepeace, marched Bath back 10 metres and Shillcock – who signed for Bath on a short-term deal following the demise of Worcester last year – swiftly made it four penalties out of four.
Russell fired straight back with another sweetly struck kick and an attacking lineout led to Bath’s second try after a yellow card for Leicester’s Harry Wells. Makepeace decided against a penalty try when the lock went off his feet with Bath camped on the tryline but Thomas du Toit finished smartly from short range anyway – the South African prop’s first Premiership try. Russell converted, it was a six-point lead for Bath, and it felt significant when Shillcock erred off the tee for the first time.
Sale’s director of rugby Alex Sanderson admitted his side had been “outclassed” after their biggest ever defeat to Exeter with the Devon side winning 43-0 at Sandy Park. “I am taking this off the lads to a degree because there was something clearly wrong with our preparation and messaging this week – how strong those messages were and how relevant they were – and making the lads aware of the threat of the opposition and intensity, which we weren’t up to for the whole 80 minutes.
“In the second 40 minutes we made it more competitive but we still weren’t in the contest. We just weren’t at the races and there is going to have to be some deep introspection, and no doubt some technical fault correction, but first off it is around mentality and how we got it so wrong as coaches.
“We were outclassed, outworked and outmuscled in every area, and that’s credit to Exeter. The coaches have done a great job over the summer with the young group, and if they can continue this and build experience, they are going to be a force to be reckoned with.”
Exeter got off to a dream start with a try inside the first two minutes. An initial surge by hooker Dan Frost earned a penalty, which was quickly taken, and Greg Fisilau finished off on the blindside, with Henry Slade slotting a superb conversion. The centre added a penalty soon after to put the Chiefs into double figures.
They notched a second try just before the midway point of the half, with a catch-and-drive effort from Frost, and secured the try-scoring bonus point before half-time. Josh Iosefa-Scott finished off another driving maul in the corner, and then Slade latched on to a wayward Sale pass to send Immanuel Feyi-Waboso racing over beneath the posts, with Slade adding the conversion for a 29-0 advantage at the interval.
Exeter put the icing on the
cake when an excellent run by Lewis Pearson saw him offload to Niall Armstrong to run in try number five, with Slade adding the conversion for a personal 11-point haul, and their dominant scrum rounded it off with a penalty try as the home side completed their first Premiership shutout since 2014.
Bristol slipped to a 23-21 defeat against Harlequins after Jarrod Evans kicked a late penalty to deny them victory. The hosts made early errors to fall behind 13-0 to a lively Harlequins. However, aided by ever-worsening conditions at Ashton Gate, the Bears pack totally dominated the second half, but failed to take their opportunities which could have seen then open the new Premiership season with a hat-trick of wins.
Virimi Vakatawa and Harry Thacker scored Bristol’s tries, with Callum Sheedy adding three penalties and a conversion.
George Hammond scored two tries for Harlequins, with Evans kicking two conversions before holding his nerve to land the match-winning kick from 45 metres in the 79th minute.
“It is really pleasing to win at a difficult place in non-Quins conditions and playing in a different style of rugby,” Quins assistant coach, Danny Wilson, said. PA Media
Heavy rain returned and while Leicester’s maul defence had been rock-solid, Bath crumbled in the face of a clinical catch and drive by the Tigers, Charlie Clare touching down and Shillcock converting to restore Leicester’s advantage at 18-19. Russell – who kicked four penalties and a conversion in total – had Bath ahead again from the tee, only for Shillcock to stay calm with another penalty that looked to have won it for Leicester on 75 minutes.
When the Tigers replacement Joe Powell was adjudged to have blocked Russell after a chip ahead, the Scotland international nailed a simple kick, and the roar from the Bath faithful was deafening with less than two minutes to play. Still the drama was not over. Bath’s Jaco Coetzee knocked on the restart, Leicester won a scrum penalty, and Shillcock did the rest.
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“That’s the emotional rollercoaster of rugby,” said Van Graan. “We led with one minute to go, unfortunately we dropped the kick-off, there was a decision at the scrum, and they kick it over.
“If we win that game, it doesn’t mean everything is right, and if we lose that game, it doesn’t mean everything is wrong. We’re disappointed but we move forward.”
