Du Toit's hat-trick seals Bath home semi-final as Leicester fall short in thriller

Thomas du Toit crossed three times from close range as Bath edged Leicester 24-22 at a rain-soaked Recreation Ground on Saturday, securing second place in the Gallagher Premiership and a home semi-final against Exeter.

The reigning Premiership champions needed the win to nail down home advantage, and it was Du Toit, the South African tighthead prop, who provided the decisive moments — all three tries coming from short range as Bath’s forwards dominated the critical phases near the line.

“The closest I had got to a hat-trick was scoring in three games in a row, and it is so funny to see how it came about today,” Du Toit told media after the match. “Everyone gets you in the position close to the line, and then I just have to do the extra thing from a few metres.”

Wing Joe Cokanasiga also touched down for Bath, with fly-half Santi Carreras converting twice. Leicester, however, made Bath work for every point, with tries from Orlando Bailey, Jack van Poortvliet and George Pearson keeping them in contention throughout. James O’Connor added two conversions and a penalty for the Tigers.

Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan paid tribute to his match-winner, describing Du Toit as “an incredible player” whose contributions across the scrum, lineout and maul define what the squad stands for. “It was like a Test match out there today, with two very good teams, difficult weather and we came away with a two-point victory,” van Graan said. “It wasn’t a game for pretty rugby — it was going to be a set-piece and aerial battle.”

Du Toit was equally respectful of the opposition. “We know every time we play Leicester they are a formidable side. They have an unbelievable scrum, they are full of brilliant players and they are rock-hard.”

Bath will now host Exeter, who secured third place with a 32-12 victory over Saracens, in the semi-final. Du Toit acknowledged the scale of the task ahead: “Exeter have shown what type of team they are, and we are up for a real challenge.”

Leicester, meanwhile, must now travel to Northampton — the 2024 Premiership champions — in the other semi-final. Tigers head coach Geoff Parling acknowledged his side left opportunities on the table. “I thought we did lots of good things in the game, but they probably managed conditions better in the first half,” he said. “Both teams delivered a real cracker of a game. Some moments could have gone our way, but they didn’t.”