Richard Cockerill hailed Leicester's 43-20 win over Bath as one of their best performances of the season.
But Tigers boss irked by lack of respect shown to his league leaders
Richard Cockerill hailed Leicester's 43-20 win over Bath as one of their best performances of the season but felt his side deserve more respect in the media.
The Tigers delivered a five-try, bonus point victory at Welford Road on Saturday to cement their position at the top of the table.
Asked how highly he rated the weekend success, Cockerill said: "Well, it's up there because everyone had been talking about Bath and how good they are. But the intensity and physicality of our team is immense, you have to be very good to beat us.
"We took their line-out apart in the second half and our scrum was first-rate.
"We did get a bit sloppy at times and put ourselves under pressure. We needed to be a bit more clinical at times."
Respect
All the pre-match talk had been on Bath's seven-match winning run in the Guinness Premiership, much to the annoyance of Cockerill.
The former England hooker believes that the lack of focus on his side's own good form is down to jealousy.
"Everybody wants to knock us because we are good," said the Tigers coach, whose side secured their eighth win from their last nine league games.
"I keep telling the players 'everybody hates us and we don't care'. Everyone has been talking about everybody else and this team deserves a bit more respect than that."
Sombre
Bath head coach Steve Meehan was in sombre mood after seeing his forwards come off decidedly second best.
"Leicester's line-out and scrum were very good and we couldn't get a grip on the game at all," said Meehan, who also revealed that the elbow injury suffered by England hopeful Olly Barkley was not a serious concern.
"The other areas weren't great but it was the set-piece where we had problems.
"I thought at 33-20 down with 20 minutes to go we were still in with a shout. But we went on to lose four line-outs in a row and if you haven't got the ball you can't put pressure on the opposition.
"It certainly reinforces the point that in this competition whoever you are playing, home or away, you've got to front up and play with a level of intensity that's going to give you a chance in the match.
"There's nothing wrong with our general play and with our skill levels. It's a matter of being intense enough throughout, executing and challenging the opposition."
