Bath’s oval-ball custodians have spent years trying – and failing – to construct a team to match the striking nature of their home city. Now, finally, they are within 80 minutes of claiming their first domestic league title since 1995-96 after a storming second-half revival put paid to a gallantBristolside who had led by seven points at half-time.
If the outcome was still theoretically up in the air at the interval there was not a shred of doubt by the hour mark, Bath launching a blistering fusillade that yielded four converted tries without reply and underlined their status as short-priced favourites to lift thePremiershiptrophy next Saturday. “This team is tough to beat,” confirmed their head coach Johann van Graan. “Bristol asked some questions but effort-wise I couldn’t be prouder. That is what it takes to get to Twickenham.”
The final margin was slightly harsh on a Bears team who played a full part in a stonking contest that, once again, ticked pretty much every box from an entertainment perspective. Bristol were thrilling to watch in the first half but never quite managed to build the kind of scoreboard pressure that might have caused a famous upset, eventually disappearing beneath a quartet of third quarter tries from Ted Hill, Joe Cokanasiga, Will Muir and Max Ojomoh, all converted by a nerveless Finn Russell.
It was always destined to be a passion-filled evening on the banks of the River Avon and a fast and furious game matched the febrile atmosphere. Bristol had won 11 of the last 14 matches between the clubs and their director of rugby Pat Lam had made a few pointed remarks about Bath’s more expensively-assembled squad. He also revealed he had advised his wife not to attend because of the probability of being soaked if she sat out with the travelling Bears’ fans in the famously exposed – not to mention pricy – open stand at the Rec.
Never trust a long range west country weather forecast. As it turned out the rain held off and conditions were perfect. And despite an initial surge of Bath forward pressure it was the Bears who enjoyed the lion’s share of the early points. AJ MacGinty slotted the game’s first points after Guy Pepper was slightly too enthusiastic at the breakdown and a shaken Bath found themselves 10 points down when a spectacular long-range counterattack launched by Kalaveti Ravouvou and some deft forward interplay ended with the second row James Dun galloping over by the posts.
Dun’s father Andy was once a Bristol stalwart and the whole crackling occasion felt deeply personal, with more than simple bragging rights at stake. It was definitely not helpful to the Bears’ cause, then, when Ravouvou was yellow-carded for trying to stop Bath taking a quick tap and cost his side a further three points in the process.
Even with 14 men, though, Bristol kept on coming. Bath’s defence were pulled this way and that, the point of attack constantly shifting. Only a desperate rearguard action prevented the Bears from scoring another belting multi-phase try and a botched lineout drill five metres out then allowed Bath to escape again.
When Bristol do flick the turbo switch they look irresistible but games of top-level rugby are not definitively settled inside the first 40 minutes, particularly at this venue. Bath’s strength in depth has frequently been their trump card this season so it was doubly worrying for the Bears when the effervescent Harry Randall was led away clutching a shoulder and replaced by Kieran Marmion.
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A penalty just before the interval from MacGinty, though, extended Bristol’s advantage to 13-6 and caused a slight hush to fall around the ground. Losing in the final is one thing but going down at home to Bristol in a massive semi-final? The onus was on Bath’s familiar matchwinners to come up with the antidote to the onrushing grizzly Bears for whom Viliame Mata, Steven Luatua and Bernhard Janse van Rensburg were all exerting their usual influence.
And, sure enough, in the first 19 minutes after the restart four servings of much-needed relief duly materialised. First the visitors messed up the restart, conceded a soft penalty and gave Bath the platform from which to launch a purposeful attack which ended with Hill scoring in the left corner. Russell’s wide-angled conversion was a further bonus and there was even better to come, a horrible bounce eluding Ravouvou and allowing Cokanasiga to strike.
Now the tide was turning and some tight refereeing calls were also going Bath’s way. A pass by Noah Heward was adjudged fractionally forward and, once again, the home side were instantly energised. Muir crashed over in the left corner to extend the lead further and, within five minutes with Bristol again down to 14 players, Ojomoh inflicted further hefty damage. Even when sorely tested this stacked Bath squad, having already topped the regular season table by 11 points, tend to come up with a resounding answer.