Bath Rugby Player Ratings from Bristol Bears Win: 'One of His Best Displays for the Club'

Bath Rugby delivered a commanding 40-15 victory over West Country rivals Bristol Bears on Saturday, in a fiercely contested Gallagher Premiership Round Five clash at a packed Recreation Ground. This win propelled Bath back up to second place in the league standings.

Bristol Bears opened the scoring thanks to a well-worked try by Kalaveti Ravouvou out wide. However, Bath quickly responded just after the 10-minute mark when flanker Guy Pepper, assisted by Miles Reid and Joe Cokanasiga’s clever offload, crossed the line to level the scores.

The visitors briefly regained the lead through hooker Gabriel Oghre, who cleverly dummied a lineout before powering over. But Bath responded in style with a swift double strike from centre pairing Ollie Lawrence and Cameron Redpath, ending the first half with a 19-15 advantage.

Early in the second half, Bath had two potential bonus point tries ruled out due to knock-ons caught by the TMO. Still, Joe Cokanasiga secured the crucial 21st try bonus point in Bath’s last 25 Premiership games by powering over from Finn Russell’s astute cross-field kick.

The final moments saw Bath close the game emphatically with late tries from Sam Underhill and Henry Arundell, sealing a comprehensive victory and electrifying the home crowd.

Rugby writer Ben Baker breaks down the individual performances:

Santi Carreras – 7
Provided spark and creativity throughout, always looking to attack positively. A costly error inside the 22 gifted Bristol a scrum near Bath’s try line.
Joe Cokanasiga – 8
Influential from the start with a clever offload that led to Bath’s first try. Powered through tackles to secure the bonus point try and defended resolutely against dangerous opponent Kalaveti Ravouvou. A return to top form.
Ollie Lawrence – 8
Strong ball carrier and composed finish, scoring his second try since injury. Occasionally let down by handling lapses but produced key kicks and made an overall strong impact.
Cameron Redpath – 7
Found space and finished clinically for his third try of the season after good interplay with captain Ben Spencer.
Henry Arundell – 7
Quiet for most of the match but electrified the crowd with a last-minute interception try, showcasing his pace and footwork.
Finn Russell – 7
Stumbled early with several charged-down kicks that gifted Bristol a try but recovered to execute a clever chip kick for Lawrence’s try and a precision cross-field kick for Cokanasiga’s bonus point score. Also solid defensively.
Ben Spencer (C) – 7
Overcame a tricky windy start to distribute well and assist Redpath’s try with excellent vision and accurate passing.
Beno Obano – 8
Dominant in the scrum and at the breakdown, crucial turnover helped set up a Bath try. One handling error led to a disallowed try, but overall an outstanding display.
Tom Dunn – 7
Celebrated his 251st Bath appearance with a flawless lineout performance and strong involvement in the dominant front row.
Thomas du Toit – 8
Turned over possession and powered Bath’s scrum, though caught out by a clever dummy in the lineout. Had a try disallowed due to a teammate’s knock-on.
Quinn Roux – 7
Consistent ball carrier and physical presence, made important tackles and prevented a near Bristol try by falling on a loose ball.
Ross Molony – 8
A commanding figure at the breakdown with strong tackling, arguably his best performance for Bath to date, helping manage Bristol’s physicality.
Josh Bayliss – 7
Reliable at the breakdown and rucking efficiently, contributed a steady defensive effort.
Guy Pepper – 8
The young flanker scored Bath’s opening try with a powerful finish and impressed throughout, earning a call-up to the England squad.
Miles Reid – 7
Supported well in attack, providing the key pass for Pepper’s try, though a penalty was conceded for pushing after the whistle.