Bath head coach Steve Meehan paid tribute to stand-in captain Alex Crockett after the centre dramatically combined with Springbok fly-half Butch James to snatch a 25-21 victory in the top-of-the-table Guinness Premiership clash with Leicester.

James missed the conversion of his own try but Meehan was not worried but instead focused on the all-around contribution of Crockett.

Meehan said, "Alex is a very under-rated Premiership player. He's got an enormous heart - he's always solid in attack, very aggressive."

He added, "He's our defensive captain and he was our team captain today - he's got more responsibilities than I have!"

Meehan admitted the sheer physicality of the contest took his breath away. He said, "It was brutal. There were some enormous contacts at the tackle. It will keep our physios busy for the next few days."

At the centre of the Bath effort in trying to contain Leicester's dominant pack was former Wallaby Lock Justin Harrison who was twice seen staggering to his feet after heavy collisions.

Meehan added, "When he arrived a few people around here wondered if he was really up for it. He has proved that he is not here for a holiday. Justin has that character you need on days like this.

"We've certainly played better rugby than that this season but having said that, I don't think we have ever defended so well. It was just a mammoth example of belief this squad has got.

"This is a great reference point for us in the second half our defence was outstanding and we rarely got the right side of the halfway line."

Meehan also commended the nerveless attitude of Springbok fly-half James who conjured a clever kick across to Crockett for the winning try, by collecting Crockett's offload in the tackle to race to the posts.

He said, "Butch is one of the players who can forget what happened a minute or so beforehand and move on and look for the next opportunity. It was Hollywood stuff."

Leicester head coach Heyneke Meyer agreed that Bath's defence was "brilliant" but said, "There were a lot of positive things out of the game. We played brilliantly in the second half and showed character against a quality side.

"It was the best Premiership match I've seen in a long time - unbelievably quick. It was a battle out there.

"At half-time I told them I wasn't happy with their discipline and I wanted to see their character. This Leicester team is 50% of what I want them to be."