Bath’s hopes of returning to the top of the league were dashed as their poor run away to Bristol Bears continued, with their last league victory in the city dating back to 2008.
Ollie Lawrence, Guy Pepper, and Thomas du Toit crossed the try line for Bath, while Ciaran Donoghue’s two conversions put them ahead 19-7 at half-time. However, Bristol Bears fought back fiercely, earning a penalty try and seeing Max Lahiff turn the game around to a 21-19 lead. In the dying moments, Santi Carreras had a chance to clinch the win with a long-range penalty, but it narrowly missed.
“That’s sport for you, it was a great occasion, but not so nice when you’re on the losing side,” reflected Bath Head of Rugby Johann van Graan after their 21-19 defeat to West Country rivals Bristol Bears. He acknowledged that mistakes proved costly. “If you look at the tries they scored, it came off our mistakes. Unfortunately, Henry goes for the ball there and it’s a penalty try. Then we go up the other end, and Dan Frost knocks it on.”
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Bath had a late chance to snatch victory as the clock expired, with Carreras attempting a long-range penalty from inside his own half that drifted wide.
“In the context of the game, if that penalty from Santi had gone over, it’s a completely different feeling,” van Graan said. Though some questioned the decision to go for goal instead of touch, the South African coach stood by his players’ choice. “It’s a decision the kickers need to make on the field, and that’s a decision I’m very comfortable with. There’s no ego involved—Santi believed he could hit it. It had the distance; it just lacked the direction. But I back the players on the field with whatever decision they make.”
The match saw Bath star Finn Russell sidelined due to a tight calf, prompting Ciaran Donoghue to step up at fly-half for the derby. “I pulled him out of training early in the week. We’ve already qualified for the semi-final, which is two weeks away. We did not want to risk anything, and we’ll assess him throughout next week,” van Graan explained.
Additionally, Sam Underhill made a rare start at number eight instead of his usual flanker position—the first time the England international has started a Premiership game there since the end of 2021. “If we could’ve played with three number sevens, we would,” van Graan said. “Our plan was to slow their breakdown, and I thought we did that really well. Sam was very good at the base of the scrum and carried strongly.”
All eyes now turn to next weekend when Bath host Leicester Tigers in the final round. A victory would almost certainly guarantee Bath a home play-off semi-final, though a bonus point may be required. “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.