Bath’s quest to reclaim the top spot in the league faltered as their losing streak in Bristol continued, marking the first time since 2008 they have failed to win in the city. Despite a strong start, Bath fell 21-19 to their West Country rivals, the Bristol Bears.
Bath dominated the first half, with tries from Ollie Lawrence, Guy Pepper, and Thomas du Toit, complemented by two conversions from Ciaran Donoghue, putting them 19-7 ahead at halftime. However, Bristol staged a resilient comeback, earning a penalty try and a decisive score from Max Lahiff to seize a 21-19 advantage. The match came down to a final, long-range penalty attempt from Santi Carreras that narrowly missed, denying Bath a late victory.
Bath Head of Rugby Johann van Graan reflected on the narrow defeat: “That’s sport for you, it was a great occasion, but not so nice when you’re on the losing side.” He acknowledged that Bath’s mistakes were costly, highlighting that the tries Bristol scored capitalized on Bath’s errors. “Henry went for the ball resulting in a penalty try, and later Dan Frost knocked it on at the other end,” van Graan explained.
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The final moments offered Bath a chance to snatch victory when Carreras lined up a difficult penalty from inside his own half. “In the context of the game, if that penalty had gone over, it would feel completely different,” van Graan said. While some may question the decision to go for goal rather than touch, van Graan firmly supports the choice: “It’s a decision the kickers need to make on the field, and I’m very comfortable with it. There’s no ego involved—Santi thought he could hit it with distance; it just lacked direction. I back our players’ decisions.”
The match also saw Bath key player Finn Russell sidelined due to a tight calf, with Ciaran Donoghue stepping in at fly-half. Van Graan explained, “I pulled him out of training early in the week. Since we’ve already qualified for the semi-final, which is two weeks away, we didn’t want to risk anything. We’ll monitor him throughout next week.”
Another tactical move saw Sam Underhill shift from his usual flanker role to number eight for the first time in a Premiership game since 2021. Van Graan praised Underhill’s impact, saying, “If we could’ve played with three number sevens, we would have. Our plan was to slow their breakdown, and I thought we executed that well. Sam was very effective at the base of the scrum and carried strongly.”
Looking ahead, Bath host Leicester Tigers in the season’s final regular match. A win would likely secure Bath a home play-off semi-final, though a bonus point might be necessary to guarantee the advantage. “We came here to win, but in the greater scheme of things, it’s in our hands, and we’ve got the home advantage next Saturday,” van Graan concluded.