Bath Ends 29-Year Title Drought with Premiership Final Win Over Leicester Amid Controversial Yellow Card

Leicester Tigers head coach Michael Cheika expressed strong frustration over the officiating in their narrow 23-21 Premiership final loss to Bath, particularly criticizing the yellow card shown to veteran prop Dan Cole for a late collision with Finn Russell. Cheika described the sin-binning of Cole as "embarrassing for the game" and questioned the consistency of officiating, especially around the scrum where Leicester felt unfairly penalized despite dominating. The Tigers played part of the match with 14 men due to two yellow cards, which Cheika felt cost them critical field position and momentum. Despite the defeat marking the end of Cole's and scrum-half Ben Youngs' distinguished careers, Cheika praised his players' grit and effort throughout the season and match. Although visibly upset, Cheika chose to temper his public criticism, acknowledging Bath as deserving champions while indicating he would privately seek clarification from refereeing authorities. His comments underline concerns about refereeing standards impacting the outcome of high-stakes matches and highlight the emotional toll on players and coaches during crucial moments.