Bath Rugby continued their dominance in the Gallagher Premiership, securing first place at Christmas for the third year in a row following an emphatic 50-14 victory over Newcastle Red Bulls at Kingston Park on Sunday.
Despite resting several key players, Bath showcased their depth and skill by scoring eight tries. Hooker Dan Frost stood out with two tries and earned the player of the match honors. He was supported on the scoreboard by Archie Griffin, Francois van Wyk, Will Butt, Tom de Glanville, Ben Spencer, and Ted Hill. Fly-half Santi Carreras contributed 10 points from five successful conversions in his first start at number 10 since joining Bath from Gloucester this summer.
Newcastle, despite attracting another sell-out crowd through heavy marketing efforts, remain winless in the league and anchored at the bottom of the table. Their tries came from Ollie Leatherbarrow and Amanaki Mafi, but they struggled to contain Bath’s relentless attack.
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Newcastle took an early lead when flanker Ollie Leatherbarrow scored on his first Premiership start, capitalizing on a clever dummy line from Alex Hearle. However, Bath responded swiftly with Frost powering over from a driving maul to narrow the score.
Frost’s second try, a break from around the ruck, put Bath ahead, converted by Carreras. Newcastle struck back with Mafi again driving over from a maul to regain the lead. But Welsh tighthead prop Archie Griffin charged through a two-man tackle to put Bath back in front heading into halftime.
The second half belonged entirely to Bath. Loosehead prop Francois van Wyk added a try, followed by a clever tap penalty try by Will Butt after a yellow card was shown to Newcastle’s Sammy Arnold. With the bonus point secured, Bath’s bench came alive—Ben Spencer assisted Tom de Glanville’s try and then crossed himself. Ted Hill capped the scoring with a strong finish.
Bath head coach Johann van Graan will take great confidence from this performance as his squad gears up to face Northampton Saints at The Rec next weekend.
Newcastle Red Bulls: 15 Ethan Grayson, 14 Oli Spencer, 13 Alex Hearle, 12 Sammy Arnold, 11 Elliott Obatoyinbo, 10 Brett Connon, 9 Simón Benítez Cruz; 1 Adam Brocklebank, 2 George McGuigan (captain), 3 Murray McCallum, 4 Oscar Usher, 5 Seb de Chaves, 6 Ollie Leatherbarrow, 7 Tom Christie, 8 Amanaki Mafi.
Replacements: 16 Ollie Fletcher, 17 Connor Hancock, 18 Richard Palframan, 19 Finn Baker, 20 Tom Gordon, 21 James Elliott, 22 Boeta Chamberlain, 23 Max Clark.
Bath Rugby: 15 Tom de Glanville, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Chris Harris, 12 Will Butt, 11 Louie Hennessey, 10 Santi Carreras, 9 Tom Carr-Smith, 1 Francois van Wyk, 2 Dan Frost, 3 Archie Griffin, 4 Ewan Richards, 5 Ross Molony, 6 Josh Bayliss, 7 Ethan Staddon, 8 Miles Reid (captain).
Replacements: 16 Tom Dunn, 17 Beno Obano, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Ted Hill, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Ben Spencer, 22 Cameron Redpath, 23 Alfie Barbeary.
Match officials: Referee Hamish Smales, Assistant referees Jonathan Cook and Wayne Falla, TMO Peter Allan.