Gallagher Premiership Rugby final: The Magician v Clutch King - Will Finn Russell or Handre Pollard shine brighter as Bath and Leicester clash?

It all comes down to this. Nine months of blood, sweat and tears have gone into the Gallagher Premiership season, but after Saturday's final only one team will be left standing - Bath Rugby or Leicester Tigers. Who are the main protagonists? Where will the final be won and lost? TNT Sports sat down with England legend Danny Care to preview a mouthwatering clash at Allianz Stadium, Twickenham.

The English men's domestic season is set for a bumper finale at a sold-out Allianz Stadium, Twickenham this Saturday as Bath Rugby take on Leicester Tigers.

It's a meeting laced with history, harking back to the two sides' nineties duopoly where they played out three hotly-contested finals in a row between 1994 and 1996.

Indeed, 1996 was the last time Bath won the Premiership title, and after last year's heartbreaking final loss to Northampton, they have once again made it to the campaign's denouement for a shot at ending 29 years of hurt.

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But Michael Cheika's Leicester have been one of the success stories of the season, and have plenty of firepower all over the pitch as they bid for their first crown since 2022.

TNT Sports caught up with ex-England scrum-half Danny Care to preview what should be a titanic encounter.

Russell v Pollard

Rugby has always been a game full of contrasts, no more so than in the mythical fly-half position.

For every Jonny Wilkinson, there has been a Danny Cipriani; for every Stephen Jones, a James Hook.

And Bath v Leicester throws up the flair-heavy playmaking style of Scotland's Finn Russell against the savvy goal-kicking colossus, South Africa's Handre Pollard.

"It’s a fascinating battle," Care told TNT Sports.

"You’ve got the maverick [Russell] against the most clutch guy [Pollard] I think I’ve ever come across, he broke my heart and a lot of us in 2023 [when slotting a last-gasp kick to beat England at the World Cup].

"If there’s a kick to save a life, I think I might be handing Handre Pollard the kicking tee.

"He knows how to win big titles, he knows how to win finals, up against Finn Russell, who is a maverick, does things differently, unbelievably skilful player.

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"He [Russell] probably hasn’t won the trophies that he’d like, but Saturday could be a huge step for him, and obviously a massive summer for him with the Lions tour straight after, so I’m fascinated for that battle."

Cheika 'right up there' in coaching pantheon

Leicester have had a remarkable transformation under Michael Cheika in 2024/25, going from an eighth-place finish last season to making the final this year.

Cheika is leaving The Tigers at the end of the campaign as he re-assumes his role as coach of the Lebanon national rugby league side - can he depart English domestic rugby with a bang?

"It’s incredible, to see where Leicester were last year," Care said. "Not really anyone gave them a chance to do anything special this year.

"He [Cheika] has taken a group of incredible individuals and made them into a really tight team. I think he’s leant on the emotional energy of the lads that are leaving; Ben Youngs, Dan Cole, Mike Brown, Julian Montoya, Handre Pollard. The amount of caps, the amount of experience, the amount of love that they have for Leicester Tigers, I’m sure they’ll be leaning on every ounce of that to get a performance.

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"He’s come in, it’s been a strange one, only coming in for a year and being open with that, but what a year it could turn out to be if he delivers a trophy and then says goodbye."

Care added: "He's right up there [with the best rugby coaches of all time]. His CV is incredible, and the fact that he’s done it in two different sports [union and league], and continues to cross over and do bits in both.

"Someone was telling me that he’s massively into fashion and he’s really successful in business, so he’s an incredible bloke.

"I have only known him to play against his teams, so I’ve seen him angry a few times, but he’s a proper character.

"I think he’s been a breath of fresh air this year in the Gallagher Premiership, sad to see him go, but what a story it would be if he can deliver a trophy before he leaves."

Radwan the signing of the year?

Adam Radwan lit up Leicester's semi-final against Sale with two tries, one an astonishing 'superman' dive from a Pollard cross-field kick.

Radwan only arrived at Mattioli Woods Welford Road in January from Newcastle, but his impact has been considerable.

"As a mid-season signing, he’s probably the best signing of the year," Care said.

"We spoke to him after the semi-final for TNT, and he said he came here for days like this. He wants to play in semi-finals, he wants to play in finals, he wants to win trophies.

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"I’ve been a massive fan of his ever since getting rinsed by him a few times on the pitch. You see the magic, he possesses something that you can only dream of having, he’s got that out-and-out raw gas and an unbelievable ability to find the tryline.

"Finals might come down to one moment, and it could be a moment of brilliance from someone like Adam to bring the trophy home. I know for a fact he’s excited and he’s looking forward to it."

Care's prediction

Finally, who does Care see coming out on top?

"It’s hard to predict it, because it’s a final and anything can happen. Teams do tend to tighten up in finals, if anything," he said.

"The way the season’s gone for Bath, they just seem to find a way to overpower every team that they come across. Having seen that first hand from playing for Harlequins against them this year, we were up by 10 [points] with 10 minutes to go, we ended up losing by five. You think ‘how has that happened?’

"They’re the best team I’ve seen this year at getting momentum, getting an advantage and really putting their foot on your throat and squeezing it and making you pay.

"I feel like the emotional energy of Leicester is huge, and you’ve got that but then you’ve got the stats and the evidence to say that Bath have been the best team this year; they should win this final.

"But they are scarred a little bit from last season with what happened to them against Northampton.

"All in all, I see it being tight, but I see Bath winning by a score."

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How to watch the Gallagher Premiership final

The Gallagher Premiership final will be shown live on TNT Sports 1 and discovery+.

Bath Rugby v Leicester Tigers will kick off at 15:00 UK time on Saturday, June 14, with coverage starting on TNT Sports 1 from 13:30.

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