There is an old school feel to this weekend’s Premiership final, a famous fixture of yesteryear stirring the nostalgic senses. Bucket hats once more decorate the domes of the nation’s youth, wide-leg jeans have usurped their skinny-fit siblings and the established powers of the 1990s are back in fashion in English rugby, too. Between the inception of the Courage League in 1987 and the introduction of this showpiece affair in 2003, Bath and Leicester Tigers won 12 of the 15 top-flight titles on offer; six trophy tilts apiece in an extended duopoly over the game.
While Tigers have roared repeatedly since, Bath have had to be patient. The last of that run of six titles in eight years is their most recent overall; 29 years coming and going with just three final defeats mustered, foggy memories of silverware long since losing their lustre. A restoration is overdue.
There has been a sense of destiny surrounding this season at Bath. The intent was set by their star fly-half in the immediacy of the final defeat to Northampton. “We’ll just have to do it next year, now,” Finn Russell remarked to head coach Johann van Graan on the Twickenham touchline in an aside caught by the TNT Sports microphones and made moments after Saints’ victory had been secured. In truth, Bath had come closer than they should have done on the day, both in the wider context of a campaign in which they had lagged behind their opponents, and given Beno Obano’s early sending off.
This year has been different. The head coach is highly process-driven, never getting too high or too low, but he and his squad have embraced their place as front-runners, making a statement on the opening night by powering past the defending champions and seldom looking back. Minor prizes have already arrived in cups domestic and continental but this is the trophy they truly desire.
“I think that motivation has been there for everyone,” said Russell this week as he chases an elusive second title of his career. “After getting to that final and losing it last year, it is always quite tough to come back in that next year.
“But I think everyone came back in pre-season in good shape and kind of ripped in straight away.
“At the start of the year, the goal was to win the Premiership. We have gotten ourselves in a good spot just now to hopefully go and do that. We have almost got back to where we wanted to be and hopefully can go one step further this year.”
Van Graan arrived with the club at rock bottom, relegation avoided in 2022 only due to a moratorium during the pandemic. The South African has been a transformative figure, immediately establishing himself through the force of a somewhat quiet, but authoritative, personality. He has been aided in his task by significant investment, of course: Thomas du Toit joins Russell as a high-ticket item but the period of turmoil in which Ted Hill, Alfie Barbeary and Ollie Lawrence were taken from Wasps and Worcester was highly significant. The capture of Guy Pepper, similarly, has proved shrewd. Alongside the unearthing of gems like Ciaran Donoghue and Will Butt, it has given the squad a depth that most of their rivals simply cannot match.
While Bath will be fuelled by a sense that this is their time, Leicester have extra motivation of their own. Saturday afternoon will be a final outing in the green, red and white for Dan Cole and Ben Youngs, stalwarts and servants of the club for the best part of two decades. That both will retire as one-club men feels fitting; regular listeners will hope the pair’s podcast enjoys the same sort of longevity.
Where their opponents’ build to this final has been meticulous, the Tigers have come together on the hoof. In retrospect, the hiring of Michael Cheika was not the right solution for a club in need of firm foundations but the Australian deserves immense credit for his architecture nonetheless. In his sole season, Cheika has brought back Leicester’s snarl, no-nonsense on and off the pitch, yet encouraging the more expressive members of the squad to strut their stuff. Julian Montoya, his old Argentina captain, has been key and will be much missed by the Premiership when he departs for Pau after this game.
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Completing the list of leavers of note is double World Cup-winner Handre Pollard, a figure fit for a day like this. A horror show from the tee in the semi-final is unlikely to be repeated with the pressure on; as one figure connected with Leicester remarked this week, the South African fly-half may not be the ideal player to get you to a final but he will most certainly win you one. The ever-improving Emeka Ilione – a likely tourist to Argentina with England – could also have a key role to play in defusing Bath’s own bench bomb squad.
In the maelstrom and madness of any final, cool heads and calm decisions are required by both players and officials. Bath overcame the odds to stay in the fight after Obano’s early dismissal last year, yet a capacity crowd will fear something similar to dramatically change the contest. Van Graan’s men would be a sixth different champion in as many years, underscoring the competitive balance that Premiership insiders have sought to underline as they prepare to unveil a fresh identity on their day in the rugby spotlight. A new era for the league approaches, but this throwback final should provide plenty of old-school charm.
