Bath Rugby secured a 40-34 victory against Exeter Chiefs at the Recreation Ground in a high-scoring West Country derby, moving to the top of the Gallagher Premiership table. The contest featured 11 tries and showcased dramatic momentum swings.
Bath took control early, leading 26-10 at half-time. However, Exeter, inspired by England wing Immanuel Feyi-Waboso, staged a strong comeback to lead 33-31 midway through the second half. The turning point came when Exeter scrum half Stephen Varney was penalised for a deliberate knock-on, resulting in a penalty try awarded to Bath and a yellow card for Varney.
Bath’s tries came from Cam Redpath, Dan du Preez, Bernard van der Linde, Ted Hill and Finn Russell, who also successfully converted four kicks, including the penalty try. Exeter’s scoring included two tries from Feyi-Waboso, and one each from Jack Yeandle, Josh Iosefa-Scott, and Varney. Henry Slade contributed three conversions, with Harvey Skinner adding a late penalty.
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Bath director of rugby Johann van Graan expressed satisfaction with the result. He highlighted the importance of a strong start and the impact made by the substitutes. Van Graan remarked, “We wanted to start well and achieved this to build up a healthy first-half lead, but Exeter dominated the third quarter. We then brought on our bench and obviously they made a big impact, so we finished strongly to secure valuable five points against a very good side.”
He also welcomed the return of Jacob Coetzee and Will Stuart, both influencing the game significantly after periods out injured. Van Graan noted a key scrum in the first half which helped shift momentum in Bath’s favour.
Exeter director of rugby Rob Baxter acknowledged his team’s improved performance following their previous defeat by Gloucester. He said, “I’m massively pleased with our intent and physicality. Although 16 points down at the interval, it was an even half in many ways. Some tries from Bath came off favourable bounces during our attack. The yellow card significantly affected the game, and despite this, there were areas we could have improved in the second half that might have changed the outcome. Nevertheless, this is a big step forward and provides a platform to build on.”,