A youthful Bath Rugby squad fell just short in a tightly fought 19-17 loss to Gloucester Rugby at Kingsholm Stadium, during the fourth round of pool matches in the 2025/26 PREM Rugby Cup.
Bath struck first with a brilliant try following a powerful break by Sam Winters, who broke through multiple tackles before finding Austin Emens in the corner to finish the move. Gloucester soon equalized through wing Josh Hathaway, followed by a try from Ethan Staddon that restored Bath’s lead just after the 20-minute mark. However, two quick tries before half-time from Kealan Freeman Price and Will Knight gave Gloucester a seven-point advantage at the break.
In the second half, the only score came from 19-year-old Tyler Offiah’s impressive finish in the corner. Unfortunately, Bath fly-half James Linegar missed a difficult conversion and a late penalty attempt, denying the visitors a crucial derby victory.
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Rugby writer Ben Baker assesses the individual performances of the Bath Rugby players:
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Austin Emens – 7
Emens opened the scoring with power and precision, finishing off Sam Winters’ break. His kicking was inconsistent in tricky conditions, but he delivered solid cover defense.
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Tyler Offiah – 6
Despite a shaky first half with some handling errors and defensive lapses, Offiah’s second-half try showcased his attacking potential.
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Charlie Griffin – 6
Playing centre for the first time, Griffin brought speed and strength but occasionally held onto the ball too long instead of passing.
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Will Butt – 6
Bath’s captain displayed quick distribution and strong ball-carrying, directly contributing to Offiah’s try through sharp ruck awareness.
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Sam Winters – 6
Winters’ dynamic opening break set up the first try, though he was caught out defensively on one occasion. He showed good work chasing restarts but was relatively quiet after half-time.
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James Linegar – 5
Linegar showed promise as a distributor and kicker but lacked control in key moments. His missed late penalty could have swung the game.
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Neil le Roux – 5
Le Roux was quick to the ruck and effective in distribution but a costly handling error led to a Gloucester try.
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Scott Kirk – N/A
Kirk exited within 10 minutes after suffering a concussion from a high tackle by Nepo Laulala.
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Jasper Spandler – 6
Strong lineout consistency and work-rate, playing a full 80 minutes—a rare feat for a front-rower.
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Kieran Verden – 4
Struggled in the scrum with multiple penalties but contributed well at the breakdown.
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Will Jeanes – 7
A powerful ball carrier and tackler, Jeanes stood out as a physical force for Bath.
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Harvey Cuckson – 7
Dominant at the lineout with three steals and a fierce ruck presence, delivering arguably his best senior game.
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Ethan Staddon – 6
Scored a strong try and showed solid breakdown work, though he was quiet in open play.
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Thomson Cowan – 6
Good carries and dependable ruck support made Cowan an influential figure.
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George Timmins – 7
Outstanding at the breakdown, winning a penalty, and carried with pace—Bath’s back row star of the night.
Replacements:
16. Max Pearce – N/A
17. Ioan Emmanuel – 6
Made senior debut against seasoned All Black Nepo Laulala; settled well after a tentative start.
18. Mikey Summerfield – 5
19. Arthur Green – 7
20. Connor Tracey – 5
21. Ieuan Davies – 6
22. Will Roue – 5
23. Jack Woods – 5