Bath Rugby demonstrated their European ambitions with a commanding 43-20 victory on the road against Castres Olympique, positioning themselves at the top of Pool 2 and putting a home knockout tie firmly within reach. The spotlight shone brightly on young prop Vilikesa Sela, who delivered an outstanding performance on one of the biggest stages in club rugby.
Despite a challenging winter marked by disappointing losses to Toulon and Northampton, and a narrow escape against Exeter where a last-minute try preserved a lead, Bath showed resilience and quality in France. Their decisive victory was met with high praise from head coach Johann van Graan, who commended his squad’s effort and adaptability.
“This is a tough place to come and win—few teams from the Top 14 or Champions Cup walk away with a result here. I’m very pleased with how our team performed,” said van Graan post-match. “The conditions were challenging, but we managed to handle them well and adapted as the game progressed.”
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Bath has historically been strong in second-half performances, but recent weeks had seen a decline in that area. On Friday night, however, the squad reclaimed that dominance, outscoring Castres 22-6 after halftime to secure the bonus-point victory.
“It was a true 23-man effort tonight. We grew more dominant as the minutes ticked by,” van Graan noted. “Our defensive scrambling was impressive, and the impacts of players like Will Butt, Guy Pepper, and Thomas du Toit stood out.”
A standout for the night was 20-year-old Vilikesa Sela, who earned the starting role ahead of Thomas du Toit. Van Graan highlighted the young prop’s rapid development and contribution to the team’s scrum success.
“Sela was excellent tonight. For someone so young, he is already starting major matches for us, both last week and tonight. His learning curve is steep, and he even won us several scrum penalties. I’m very pleased with his performance,” the coach added.
With veteran Will Stuart sidelined long-term, Sela’s emergence is critical as Bath aims to capture more silverware this season and make a deep run in the Champions Cup.
“We approach each game one at a time and enjoy this journey together. Tonight’s result is a huge boost for the group, grabbing five points on the road,” van Graan continued. “Next week we face another big match at home against Edinburgh, and that will be our focus moving forward.”
Bath has reached the Champions Cup knockout stages just once under van Graan’s leadership. A bonus-point win against Edinburgh at home next week would not only secure a spot in the last 16 but would also see Bath top Pool 2. This position promises both a home advantage in the last 16 and the potential to host a Quarter-Final, should they progress further.