Stopsy: My favourite game

By Stopsy
March 27 2003

Leicester v Bath Zurich Premiership Sunday May 1 2000

We had won the league the previous weekend and thus prevented the possibility of Bath winning the league by beating us away in the final game (ring any bells this year?). According to the pundits, we were, as usual, boring, forward dominated, uni-dimensional etc. etc. and Bath were the up and coming team of flair and verve - the real deal, the best Rugby team in England despite the league table.

All arrangements made, last game of the season, meet up with my brother and should be a cracker. That is until they changed the fixture to Sunday to avoid a clash with the FA Cup Final! A number of months earlier, my other brother and his wife rather inconsiderately decided to have a baby, can we all guess on what day the Christening was.

Well blood is thicker than water and I’m thicker than two short planks, however welcoming Rosie to the world is even more important than rugby, see how much your uncle loves you!

Afterward the Church, brother and I went to the car on a glorious sunny day, half time, Leicester 16 - Bath 18, this was not how it was meant to be. Sulkily we made our way back to the reception and entered into the spirit of things by sampling some beer.

Then back to the car for final score. Leicester 43 - Bath 25.

I read all the reports I could find, it had been a cracker, even the pundits grudgingly admitted that 2 league titles on the trot and beating Bath meant that we were quite good on the day. A friend at work, a Bath fan, was good enough to video the game for me and one week later I duly received it. It was only after viewing the video that it dawned on me what an exceptionally good game this was. It had everything.

There was nothing to play for but pride for either team, its great to see just how much it meant to both sides to set a marker for the following season.

Stimmo penalty, Murphy interception in own half for a try, Stimmo penalty, Johnno binned at 13 - 6 thank you Mr Morrison Sir. Tigers then collapse a maul on our line for a penalty try, 13 -13, Stimmo penalty 16 - 13, de Glanville try 16 - 18, accompanied by something unpleasant from Mr Cockerill at the bottom of the pile. Half time. Johnno back on but more importantly, my hero Darren replaces Ricky Nebbet coming back from a long lay off with injury and apparently announced his presence in the first scrum with "The Skins is Back".

Bath discovered a reverse gear in the scrum in the second half. Apparently Darren’s advice at half time to Deano was that Bath needed a bit of roughing up - he duly obliged.

Messrs Cockerill and Mallett - both lucky still to be on the pitch were then requested to go and have a little rest. Ben Kay hanging out wide right smashes through for a try and bloody nose then three Backy trademark lineout catch and drives.

In between Ben Clarke went over for Bath. It was cruel, Bath knew what was coming and could do nothing about it. That’s only half the story, Mallett had obviously been told to target Johnno, Regan was his usual rumbustuous self, Dan Lyle scrapping with Cockers and then complaining that Cockers had bitten is inner thigh! Loads of needle, really edgy stuff and loads of Rugby and at half time anyone’s game, at full time we all knew who the best team in England were, even Stuart Barnes knew.

I’ve watched that video in full about 15 times now, hmm I wonder what I’ll be doing tonight!

Team: Rowntree (Jelly 77), Cockerill (Freshwater 77), Nebbett (Garforth 40), Johnson, Kay, Moody (Gustard 40), Back, Badling (Freshwater 46-56), Hamilton (Grindal 77), Healey, Lougheed, Howard (Greenwood 75) Murphy (Joiner 72), Stimpson.