Bath 23-21 Leicester Tigers: Finn Russell and co clinch Bath's first Premiership title since 1996 at Twickenham

Bath held on to beat Leicester Tigers at Twickenham to claim a first Premiership title for 29 years

Bath clinched their first Premiership title for 29 years dating back to 1996 after holding off a dramatic late Leicester Tigers fightback to win 23-21 at Twickenham.

A tight first half saw Leicester strike early for a try through scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet, but Bath hit back to lead 13-7 by half-time after a Thomas du Toit try and two Finn Russell penalties.

Tigers lost skipper Julian Montoya to a first-half sin-binning due to a high tackle on Ted Hill but avoided scoreboard damage, before the final largely swung on Russell intercepting a Handre Pollard pass 10 minutes into the second period, racing from his own half to the other end and passing for Max Ojomoh to score.

When the British and Irish Lions-bound Scot converted from close range the Bath lead was 13 points - one which rattled Leicester for a considerable period.

The Tigers eventually struck back through late Solomone Kata and Emeka Ilione tries, but a hugely harsh yellow card shown to Dan Cole for a late charge on Russell enabled the fly-half to kick a crucial penalty in between those two Leicester tries, which proved decisive.

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Finn Russell was a central performer, kicking 13 points and creating Max Ojomoh's try

Leicester struck for the opening try of the final in the sixth minute when a stunning Pollard penalty kick to the corner from hand was rewarded via the pack mauling forward towards the try-line and Van Poortvliet then wrestling it loose to score.

Leicester scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet did brilliantly to get over for the opening try early on

Bath responded quickly through the boot of Russell when Leicester were penalised at the breakdown, and then took the lead just shy of the half-hour when pick-and-go carries from Beno Obano and Du Toit saw the latter ground over the line.

Montoya was sin-binned following the restart for catching Hill in the head - the fact the Argentine was the second tackler the only thing saving him from a red card - but Bath failed to make their 10 minutes against a player less count as a number of handling errors saw attacks break down.

Russell did stretch the Bath lead to six points with the final kick of the half from distance, when Leicester - much to irate head coach Michael Cheika's ire - were penalised at the breakdown again.

Tigers skipper Julian Montoya was sin-binned in the first half for a high tackle on Ted Hill

Leicester began on top in the second half, with Pollard surprisingly missing a penalty at the posts, but were soon 20-7 behind when Russell picked off Pollard, set off and then, though he could have scored himself, passed inside for Ojomoh to finish in any case.

Bath centre Ojomoh got over for a crucial try early in the second half, made by a Finn Russell interception

Bath back-row Guy Pepper seemed to confirm victory 20 minutes ahead of time when he produced a storming finish down the left, but the try was eventually ruled out by the TMO for an earlier Will Muir knock-on.

Instead Leicester scored their second try within five minutes as relentless goal-line pressure saw centre Kata pick up and dot the tip of the ball down on the line.

Pollard converted to bring Leicester within six, but a moment of controversy followed when Cole - playing in the final professional match of his career - came out of the line to charge down a Russell kick, making contact after the ball had gone.

Referee Dickson decreed it a penalty offence, marking where the ball landed in the Leicester half and sending Cole to the bin for 10 minutes in a decision difficult to foresee or explain.

Dan Cole was very harshly sin-binned by referee Karl Dickson just after Leicester got back within a score

Russell kept his nerve to land the penalty for a nine-point lead, but there remained more late drama when the 14-player Tigers scored again through back-row Ilione - sensational in his time on the pitch - with Pollard converting for a two-point game.

Russell kicked flawlessly off the tee in the final, landing three penalties and both conversions

Emeka Ilione, who proved outstanding off the bench for Leicester, scored late on to give them one last hope

Leicester couldn't force another attack in the three minutes left, though, with Bath able to retain possession for the final minute before kicking out for bedlam in the stands and on the pitch.

Montoya: We're sad and disappointed - we were one kick away | Russell: It's not sunk in yet

Leicester Tigers captain Montoya told TNT Sports...

"Of course I'm disappointed and sad about the result today, but Bath have been good all season.

"And I'll thank all the supporters for today and every day of the year. It's a massive honour to be one of the Leicester Tigers, but we are disappointed because we wanted that trophy and today we weren't good enough for moments of the game.

"In moments we were good, and we were just one kick away. Everyone wrote us off at the beginning, but we kept the fight."

Bath's Russell speaking to BBC Sport...

"It's not sunk in yet. Winning the Challenge Cup was brilliant but at the start of the year the goal was to win the Premiership. [It's] 10 years since I won a domestic title]at Glasgow in my second season there and now I've won it here second season.

"It's special. This group, the city, the club deserves it. The work we've put in over the last few years, more years than I've been here, and then what we do on the pitch is try to represent the city as best we can.

"After last year's defeat, we bounced back really quickly and we managed to get the job done."

On why he passed to Max Ojomoh for Bath's second try try rather than score himself:

"He's a kid from Bath that grew up watching his dad lifting this trophy. Giving him a little bit of limelight in the final was nice."

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