Bath out of Champions Cup following Leinster loss
Last Updated: 16/01/16 8:37pm
Bath are out of the Champions Cup after losing 25-11 to Leinster at the RDS Arena on Saturday.
Bath came into the game needing to win to stay in the tournament, while no result would have helped bottom-of-the-table Leinster to progress.
Despite having less to play for, a young Leinster team played with great enthusiasm as Sean Cronin scored a try to go with 20 points from the boot of Ian Madigan.
Bath looked like they were going to launch a fightback as the third quarter drew to a close when No 8 Leroy Houston crashed over from short range to make it 15-8 to Leinster, but Cronin's try came shortly thereafter to end the threat as Leinster held out for the win.
Madigan got the scoring underway with his first penalty in the eighth minute after Ben Te'o and Zane Kirchner linked up to bring Leinster in range.
The home forwards, led by man-of-the-match Ross Molony in the second row, took hold of the game while playing at a relentless pace, but Bath drew level when George Ford sent a penalty attempt over in the 29th minute.
Leinster restored their lead six minutes before the break, with Madigan splitting the posts following a lineout infringement. Bath lock Dominic Day's slow retreat in defence earned him a yellow card and Madigan another shot at goal.
Madigan added the three points and did the same from out wide when Anthony Watson was penalised for a high tackle as the half drew to a close, making it 12-3 to the Irish side at the break.
Leinster almost got off to the perfect start to the second half, with a turnover leading to a break from Garry Ringrose who sent Isa Nacewa up the right touchline.
Nacewa was brought down but a Bath infringed to give Madigan another chance to call for the kicking tee and the fly-half made it 15-6 after 46 minutes.
Bath then hit back through Houston's try on the hour, with the No 8 muscling over on the back of a lineout drive.
Ford could not convert and after Bath mishandled the restart, Cronin gobbled up possession to launch a powerful set of attacking phases.
It was the replacement hooker who eventually scored for Leinster, springing through from close-range at a ruck.
Madigan's conversion was followed by a Ford penalty, but Leinster continued to look the more likely to score, and a 76th-minute penalty from Madigan sealed Bath's fate, leaving Wasps and Toulon to battle it out for Pool 5 honours.
