Leicester seek Bath win to save season

The England lock Louis Deacon insists there is no margin for error as Leicester turn their attention to the last piece of silverware available to them.

The Tigers travel to Bath tonight needing victory to catapult them back into the Premiership play-offs. Already out of the Heineken Cup, Saturday's 23-6 defeat by the Ospreys in the Anglo-Welsh Cup final has left last season's double winners on the brink of failure. They have just four games remaining to rescue their season.

"Every game is big but they are bigger now. All our games are winnable and we must win them all," Deacon said. "When you're as successful as Leicester, everyone is gunning for you. Losing to the Ospreys was a massive kick up the backside."

Coach Marcelo Loffreda has handed Ben Kay the captaincy with the England second row the only survivor from the Twickenham horror show.

The former Springbok fly-half Butch James returns for Bath after nearly three months on the sidelines. The West country club, who are targeting a top-two finish to secure home advantage in the play-offs, are refusing to take any comfort from Leicester's line-up.

"Marcelo Loffreda joined Leicester after the World Cup and has installed a completely different style of play to that of Pat Howard before him," the Bath forwards coach Mark Bakewell said. "Their style is now more like that of Argentina, which is very confrontational and very direct."

Sale could surrender their place in the top four when they face in-form Wasps at Adams Park in tonight's second rearranged fixture.

As many as eight teams are in contention for the play-offs and the Sharks' showdown with the European champions could prove decisive in who reaches the semi-finals.