Bath vs. Leicester is a fixture that inspires a time when the club was completely dominated by British rugby, and memories and rivals built in the 1980s will reappear on Saturday when they first met at the British Premiership Final.
They, along with Gloucester, were the only clubs to be permanent members of Top Flight since their formation in 1988, and were completely dominant in the early years of the league, winning 12 of their first 15 titles and nine versions of the Cup.
But it was a different story as the Saracens, the wasps, Northampton and Exeter disbanded their hegemony since those glorious times.
Leicester continued to eat at the top table, winning the league in 2007, 2010, 2013 and 2022, raising the tally to 11, but Bath’s final victory remains the 1996 title when there was no season-ending final and the winner was determined by a still simple league table.
This was also the last time two big guns faced off at Twickenham. Bath should give it a try and see what Leicester fans have been unhappy for 29 years courtesy of the Last Mine penalty.
Up until this season, Bath’s 1996 league and cup doubles won the European Cup two years later, but it was his final domestic success.
They have since lost three Premiership Finals, including a nail bitter against Northampton last year, but are currently bidding for the 2025 Treble, which already bagged the Premiership Cup (mainly the development competition) and the European Challenge Cup.
They finished at the top of the Premiership, finished their clearing and after an early wobble they eventually passed Bristol in the semi-finals.
South African coach Johann Van Grahn rarely found in recreational settings and rarely introduced fans who dream of running rugby, but starving silverware, their huge packs, especially their own bomb team, dominate all opposition with a series of late surges.
The team was also skillfully guided by the halfback combination of Onsong’s Ben Spencer and Finn Russell. He restrained some of his wild instincts as he raised his goal kick towards his world-class level.
“It took a lot of hard work from the group,” Scrum-half Spencer said of the Bath revival since Van Grign arrived two years ago.
“I think one of the big things Johan has brought was turning hope into belief. This group believes now and we believe we can win a big game. Saturday will be another big game for the group.
Leicester has returned to where he feels he belongs after a horrifying dip that finished from the third bottom last season.
Under Australia’s Michael Cheika’s leadership, they rediscovered many of their sw walks and finished strong to secure second place in the standings before thwarting past sales in the semi-finals.
“When we were there a few weeks ago, they rang out a bit at us and Bath is still the only team that’s beaten this year, so we have to find a way to master that opponent.”
Whatever the outcome, it will be an emotional day for Scrum Half Ben Young and Prop Dankor (the two most capped players in England).