"Spoil that Party" - Ben Spencer wants Bath to ruin farewells for Leicester legends in Premiership Final

Throw into the mix the added departures of Handre Pollard and Julian Montoya from Welford Road, and Leicester eye up the Premiership Final with an added layer of emotional importance atop of their goal to become kings of England once again. Michael Cheika's side will be on the hunt for the silverware, in what would be the storybook send off for the many departing greats in green, white and red.

Whilst Spencer is respectful of what the retiring Tigers stars have all achieved, the scrum half is having none of it when it comes Leicester's perfect send-off plans. The Bath man spoke candidly about how his side are out to go one further than last season's Premiership Final silver medals, and lift the iconic trophy at the home of English Rugby on Saturday.

"Two legends [Youngs and Cole] of the game, two legends of English rugby both with over 100 caps for for their country. They're [Leicester Tigers] obviously feeding off the energy of those guys leaving. It's not just those two, It's Montoya, it's Pollard, and there's a few more.

"The game will be worse off without them, but I don't think there's any part of me, or any of the Bath lads that doesn't want to spoil that party. Like I said, two great players, two legends of the game, and it'll be sad to see them go. But, I'm hoping that we lift a trophy at the end of the day, on Saturday afternoon."

Spencer zoomed out of his scope upon the Tigers as individuals, and scanned across the side's strengths across numerous departments. The England halfback recognised the wealth in talent that the 12-time Premiership champions have at their disposal, with a monstrous pack and fleet-footed flyers set to present the blue, black and whites with an array of issues at the Allianz.

"They've been a very good, very consistent side all year." Spencer added. "Big pack, forwards that love to scrum, love to maul, and then a big set of centres and electric wings. They're going to be a handful on Saturday, but think this week is about us and what we can do. We're very much looking forward to Saturday, and fingers crossed we get the result we want."

Whilst Leicester boast a squad of supersonic backs and hulking forwards, the East Midlanders have not got a player with the athletic capabilities of Bath back row Ted Hill. Coined to be the resident 'Superman' of the England camp by his international captain Maro Itoje, Hill's super-human abilities coupled with his iconic glasses, have completed quite the 'Clark Kent' look, as Bath's hero in disguise.

Both Ben Spencer and Bath head coach Johann van Graan recognise how valuable of an asset Hill is to their Premiership title pursuits. The South African coach went as far as labelling the versatile forward as one of the best players in the English top flight.

"He's a bit of a freak." Spencer quipped. "He's the fastest bloke in the squad, backs and forwards. We don't gym with the forwards, but what he does in there is incredible. I think the last two games we played at home, he's chased down wingers to make a try-saving tackle in the corner. So, athletically he's different!"

"He's an exceptional rugby player." Van Graan added. "He came in here just over two and a half years ago in very difficult circumstances for him [Worcester Warriors collapse]. But, the way he's conducted himself, the way that he's never been a victim, he's never had an excuse, he just fitted in. It's only when you coach him and when you play with him, when you actually appreciate how good he is.

"He quietly just gets the business done, whether he's on the blind side, whether he's at lock, when we play well, Ted is in the team. I think he's one of the best players in the league, and I think his athletic ability is special. The closest that I've seen to him [Hill] is someone like Pierce Spies, that I've coached before in terms of speed, because, as Ben [Spencer] rightly said, his speed is phenomenal.

"He [Hill] can carry in the close channels, he can carry in the wide channel. He's got very good line-out ability, and he's got this amazing timing and hitting. So, there's not a lot that he can't do, he is a special player."

Bath fans will watch on with baited breath this weekend, as the Somerset side sets out to bring the Premiership trophy back to the Rec for the first time in nearly three decades. The Spa City last saw their side crowned champions of England all the way back in the 1995/96 season, in what was the end of their dominance of the Premiership's early years.

Six time winners of the Premiership with title triumphs running from 1989 to 1996, Bath shared the stage with Leicester Tigers as the old enemies get set to lock horns once more with their trophy on the line.

Bath fell at the finish line in last season's final, with a gut-wrenching 25-21 defeat to Northampton Saints sending Johann van Graan's men back to square one for yet another season. The Bath coach expressed how the players recognise the club's glorious history, but won't carry it the as a burden as they walk high and proud into Twickenham this Saturday.

"From a personal point of view, when I joined Bath, you look at the history, the tradition, you read up on the club. You see this club at a time was incredibly successful, specifically through the 80s and the 90s. One thing that that we all do together, is we respect our history. But, we started the club at zero in our minds on July the 11th, 2022 [van Graan's arrival].

"So, we respect everybody and everything that's gone before, but for us, it's been a journey of the last three years. So it's all about this circle and this group of people, whilst loving the people that support this club. We as a group, were incredibly proud to walk down that tunnel of noise on Friday afternoon."

Spencer echoed the thoughts of his head coach, and shared how the men in blue, black and white are full of belief ahead of their return to the Premiership Final. Spencer backs his team to finally bring an end to the arduous wait to see Bath crowned Premiership champions, in what would complete a stunning treble and dawn a new golden era, having already won the Premiership Rugby Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup in the 2024/25 season.

"It's taken a lot of hard work, like Johann said, from the group. I think one huge thing that Johann brought in was turning hope into belief. This group believes now, and believes that we can win big games. Saturday will be another huge game for the group and we're just looking forward to getting out with the lads. We know that each and every one of us has got each other's back."

Van Graan closed out the pre-match hype by casting an eye to the crowd, following a raucous atmosphere at the Rec for the semi-final win over Bristol Bears this past Friday. The head coach had not experienced noise like that at the riverside ground, as the rafters shook in support of the blue, black and white side of the West Country derby.

Rather poignantly, the day after the Premiership Final will be Father's Day in the UK, with van Graan recognising how family is a real driving force for his players, who have to overcome injuries and balance their lifestyles with training commitments week after week.

"We all do it for different reasons, but family is very important to us. Having our partners, wives, kids, parents, looking at both of these gentlemen [Ben Spencer and Finn Russell] with their kids on the pitch. You do sport because you want to belong to something, and we belong to this club at this stage of our different journeys.

"This is an amazing club with an amazing support base, and we're very proud of that. We're very proud that we belong to it. For this group, it's another day, it's a moment in time. I'm a very big believer, again, from a personal point of view, whatever happens on Saturday, the sun will come up again on on Sunday."