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Leicester fly-half Jamie Shillcock returned to haunt former side Bath as he scored the winning penalty with the last kick of the game as the Tigers edged a 25-24 Gallagher Premiership win to move off the bottom of the table.
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It seemed that his opposite number Finn Russell had snatched victory with a penalty at the other end but Bath were penalised at a scrum from the restart and Shillcock nervelessly found the target from near the touchline as the rain teemed down at the Recreation Ground.
It earned Shillcock – who signed a short-term deal with Bath in 2022 – a match tally of 20 points, including a conversion of Tommy Reffell’s 67th-minute try.
Bath, who had come into the game as early Premiership leaders, celebrated tries from left-wing Will Muir and prop Thomas Du Toit, plus four penalties and a conversion from Russell.
The predicted heavy rain arrived just before kick-off, making for difficult conditions but Shillcock had no problem knocking over his first penalty after just three minutes.
It was no surprise that both sides resorted to high kicks to test each other’s fielding skills and it was aerial tennis for the first 15 minutes.
Bath supporters looked to Russell to provide some spark in the gloom and the Scotland international obliged first with a clever grubber into the visitors’ 22. His follow-up tackle then forced a knock-on by Mike Brown to earn a scrum.
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Skipper Ben Spencer fed Russell, who stabbed a kick-pass to the left wing for Will Muir for a try in the corner but its creator could not add the conversion.
Despite exerting considerable pressure on the Tigers’ line-out, Bath struggled to impose themselves on the game, mainly because of their indiscipline.
Having wrested back possession in the loose, a neck roll at a ruck by Spencer handed Shillcock another penalty opportunity which he struck sweetly from fully 50 metres for a 5-6 lead.
When Leicester were at their most threatening, it was Shillcock’s turn to look sheepish as he fumbled a pass when the home defence was a momentarily stretched.
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When Bath were penalised again, Shillcock gratefully kicked his side further ahead, only for Russell to chop the lead back to one point again just before the interval.
The pair exchanged penalties again just after the break for 11-12 but Bath turned up the heat to such a degree that Leicester lock Harry Wells was shown a yellow card after 54 minutes for cynical play close to the try-line.
Bath spurned the penalty and Du Toit eventually drove over the line, Russell adding the conversion to put the home side in front for the first time.
Spencer might have added another when he was quickest to react to a deflected kick but Reffell had the travelling support on their feet when he touched down from a line-out catch-and-drive.
Shillcock converted but Russell put Bath 21-19 ahead after the home side laid siege to the visitors’ line. Again Bath blinked, conceding another penalty which Shillcock steered between the posts from 48 metres.
Russell – blocked illegally when chasing his own chip ahead – restored Bath’s lead with less than a minute left but Shillcock had the last word after Jaco Coetzee spilled the restart and the hosts were penalised at the scrum.
