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Jack van Poortvliet gave Leicester an early lead but Thomas du Toit's try and another from Max Ojomoh - created by Finn Russell's show-stopping interception - pushed Bath 13 points ahead.

Bath eventually ramped up the pressure, probing Leicester's line from the left then right as their forwards picked up the mantle and Du Toit surged over.

And when I think back to the salad days of COVID-19, when I was massaging the line, I think I was mostly trying to figure out how vampire Lestat de Lioncourt could get himself out of the two-murdered-priests hole he had dug himself in with the mortal Louis de Pointe Du Lac.

Pollard quickly matched Ford's second penalty, but a Rob du Preez score from a slick move and another three points from Ford brought the Sharks level to tee up a grand finale.

Yet having been on the ropes for so long, the Sharks hit back with virtually their first visit to the Leicester line when a spell of pressure ended with Ford feeding du Preez's run under the posts.