The Rec fell silent for a minute before kick-off as Bath Rugby paid tribute to Roger Spurrell, a club legend who had passed away at 71 just days earlier. When play began, the home crowd expected momentum to build behind their side, but instead found themselves watching a former favourite in a Leicester Tigers shirt slice through their defence—O'Connor setting up ex-Bath player Bailey for a try in just three minutes.
What unfolded was a nail-biting battle for second place and a home semi-final berth, with Bath ultimately prevailing to secure the advantage they sought. The stakes could not have been higher: this victory would send Bath to face Exeter Chiefs in the playoffs from home, while a loss would have forced them to travel.
Leicester struck first, but Bath's South Africa prop Du Toit responded with the kind of brutality that defines playoff rugby, powering over twice in quick succession within ten minutes of Bailey's opener to flip the scoreboard in Bath's favour. O'Connor kept Tigers within touching distance with a 25th-minute penalty, yet Cokanasiga wove through the Leicester defence to extend Bath's lead moments after. Just before half-time, Van Poortvliet dotted down for the visitors and O'Connor converted to level the scores—but the 35-year-old Australia international would not return after the break, his influence on the contest ended.
The second half belonged entirely to Bath. They piled sustained pressure on Leicester's defence and, with their forwards dominant at the breakdown, Du Toit powered over for a third try that proved season-defining. The home side's control was suffocating, yet they could not add to the scoreboard despite continued dominance, and the game descended into a tense final stretch where every penalty mattered.
Leicester mounted a desperate fightback. With Bath bunkered on their own tryline absorbing wave after wave of Tigers attack, a succession of penalties eventually saw Cokanasiga sin-binned in the 77th minute. With the numerical advantage, Tigers finally breached Bath's defence through Pearson—a try that set up a dramatic climax. Bailey lined up a conversion attempt with just two minutes remaining that would have levelled the scores and sent Leicester to a third-place finish, which would have meant another trip back to The Rec for the semi-final. He missed.
Bath held on to secure second place and the home semi-final they had fought for, while Leicester's hopes of finishing third and avoiding another journey to Bath evaporated with that missed kick. The final whistle brought relief to the home supporters and, perhaps, vindication for a side that had shown the resilience and precision needed to win close contests. For Roger Spurrell's memory, it was a fitting send-off—a victory earned the hard way, in a cauldron of noise and pressure.