Bath 34-20 Bristol Bears: Hosts keep treble dreams alive as they reach second straight Premiership final with victory in all-time classic
Johann van Graan's side have been the best team in the country this term and have also won the Premiership Rugby Cup and European Challenge Cup.
Now, they are only one game away from a third trophy after surviving a significant scare by Bristol who played some scintillating attacking rugby.
This really was a brilliant encounter. Bath will now face one of either Leicester or Sale – who meet in the second play-off semi-final on Saturday in the league decider – and the fact they came through to win here marks them out as a potentially true champion team.
Four quick Bath tries at the start of the second half proved decisive as Pat Lam's Bristol – who went for broke in the first 40 – ran out of puff badly after the break. Bath, beaten in the 2024 final by Northampton, now look like title winners elect a year later.
They deserve immense credit for this win, scoring 28 unanswered second-half points. Bath head of rugby Van Graan isn't one for too much emotion, but he looked rightly delighted at his team's dominance after a tough start.
Bath's supporters have had plenty to cheer about this season already with two trophies in the bag.
They stood 10 deep to welcome their players into The Rec, blue smoke and fireworks lighting up the sky. Finn Russell, unsurprisingly, looked relaxed to the point of horizontal.
There had been plenty of pre-game spice, Bristol's England prop Ellis Genge saying he grew up with a 'hate' for Bath and had a 'personal vendetta' against the hosts.
Bristol director of rugby Lam had also expressed pre-match confidence, based on the fact his team had beaten Bath in 11 of the last 14 meetings prior to this one. Genge paced the pitch like a caged animal waiting to be unleashed during the warm-up.
He even had a word with Bath supporters as he ran out of the tunnel and when the game began, was then almost immediately penalised for foul language and dissent by referee Christophe Ridley.
Temperatures were high and that was certainly true of the simmering Genge.The atmosphere was febrile, The Rec packed out with vociferous home support.It was English club rugby at its best.
AJ MacGinty gave Bristol a 3-0 lead. The Bears had come to play. Kalaveti Ravouvou chased backed to cover a long Bath kick. He didn't just alleviate the danger, he caused havoc – running over Ben Spencer and making 50 metres.
When the ball was recycled back left, Genge's fine pass sent James Dun over and MacGinty's kick made it 10-0. Ravouvou then went from saint to sinner, yellow carded for tripping Bath captain Spencer as he looked to play quickly.
Russell narrowed the home deficit. Bristol were running everything, mixing the sublime with the daft. But their intent and ball handling were just superb. At times, it was like watching the Harlem Globetrotters.
Only a brilliant Guy Pepper steal stopped Bristol from grabbing a second while down to 14. MacGinty then turned down a kickable penalty, perhaps with a try in mind but also with the aim of running down the clock before Ravouvou could return.
Bath had struggled to get their trademark power game going, chasing white shirts more often than having possession themselves. And when they did have a number of phases, Bristol held out with Benhard Janse van Rensburg coming up trumps at the breakdown.
On the verge of the break, the Bears were dealt a cruel blow. Their livewire No 9 Harry Randall, so key to their high-tempo game, was forced off cradling his arm.
On came Kieran Marmion as the drama continued. Ravouvou hit Alfie Barbeary high, risking a second yellow that would have seen him sent off.
But Ridley decided on a penalty only, Russell and MacGinty swapping penalties to end the half with Bristol 13-6 up. Everyone needed a break after that first 40.It was simply compelling stuff.
Bath started the second half like a house on fire with Miles Reid on for Barbeary. Bristol conceded a simple penalty, Russell went to the corner, and on his 50th Bath appearance Ted Hill dived over. Russell converted and in an instant, it was 13-13. At the other end, Hill then produced an astonishing try-saving tackle on the maverick Ravouvou.
Such was the scintillating pace of the encounter that the replacements came early on both sides. If The Rec had a roof, it would have come off in the 49th minute. Tom de Glanville kicked ahead, Ravouvou couldn't collect as the ball bounced wickedly, and hulking Bath wing Joe Cokanasiga pounced to score.
The explosion of noise was cataclysmic and Russell's kick put Bath seven to the good. Bristol had shipped two quick tries in costly fashion and it soon got worse for them, Will Muir making it three in the opposite corner to Cokanasiga.
Russell's kicking was exemplary all night and he converted from the touchline.All of a sudden, it was one-way traffic. The momentum swing was astonishing and Marmion saw yellow with Bristol under intense pressure. As Bath turned up the power, Bristol unravelled. Max Ojomoh made it four and that was the game.
Genge was then held up over the line and replaced, his immense disappointment obvious as he trudged off. Janse van Rensburg grabbed a late away consolation. But for Bath, the emotion was of sheer joy. They will take some beating in Saturday's final. Russell limped from the field late on, but his injury didn't look serious as he departed by chirpsing Bristol centre James Williams.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Sun
20 minutes ago
- The Sun
Inside Viktor Gyokeres' rollercoaster career as former team-mates and bosses tell Arsenal fans what to expect
VIKTOR GYOKERES is the man Arsenal hope will lead them to the title following his sensational move back to England from Sporting Lisbon. The Swedish striker, 27, has had a roller-coaster career already so far. 11 SunSport has spoken to coaches, managers and players who have seen Gyokeres incredible rise to the top. But do the words of those who know him best paint a picture of someone who can fire Arsenal to their first Premier League title since 2003-04? IFK ASPUDDEN-TELLUS: 2004-2014 Bjorn Thuresson is chairman of the youth club where Gyokeres started age five until he was 16... "We are a lovely, local club and attract players from the area. We do not own our pitches and we do not have any employees. "Viktor's father, Stefan, was also his team's trainer the time he was with us. He had good players with him but Viktor the best of the lot. When he turned 16, he moved to IF Brommapojkarna. "We are lucky because we have received solidarity payments. Fifa uses a thing called Clearing House to ensure training clubs receive compensation when young players are transferred to new clubs. "It's for players aged between 12 and 20 so that relates to Viktor's time with us. "We got a little when he went to Brighton and a little more when he went to Coventry. And now we could get a little more. A lot more, actually. So far, we have got over €200,000 (£173,000). "We did not get paid by Brighton or Coventry but we got the money from Fifa. "You see a massive spread sheet and see who gets what. We get roughly one per cent of a transfer fee so if Viktor's transfer fee to Arsenal is the sum we are reading, then it will be a lot (about £800,000). Why Mikel Arteta must deliver best team in London a trophy | Arsenal Exposed "In the past, we have used the money to invest in more equipment and send the players to more camps. It is quite incredible. "Viktor has not visited us since he left but when some of our players go to the national team at youth level, and he sees which club they are from, he goes up to them and says hello. "We are all proud of him." IF BROMMAPOJKARNA: 2014-2017 Peter Kisfaludy was one of his youth coaches before he broke into the first team... "The first time I met Viktor was when he was 11 and we took him to a tournament in Finland on loan from his youth club Aspudden-Tellus. Then, he joined the club at 16. "At 13, he started at a school where I coach in the mornings before the first lessons. I have also coached Dejan Kulusevski and Lucas Bergvall there. "Viktor was a late bloomer but he has the same goalscoring style he has now and was always like a tank running with a ball. You could also say he is like the Swedish Orient Express. "He has always been a winner. For a long time, his girlfriend was the footballer Amanda Nilden who plays for Spurs. "They went on holiday to Spain and she is really good at table tennis. They also had a game of tennis and she won so they did not speak for two days. "They are both really bad losers. 11 "It has been so nice to see him progress and he has not changed. This year, I was in Portugal scouting players when there was a massive power outage - along with Spain - and there was no electricity in either country. "The restaurant would not make us food and I could not buy a bottle of water as I also had no cash and the card machines were not working. "I called Vik and he said 'come to me'. I drove 30 minutes and he gave me lunch and gave me 100 Euros to spend in case the card machines were still not working. "I have no doubt he will score many goals for Arsenal. If he scores twice, he will not be happy until he gets a third." 11 BRIGHTON: 2018-2021 Former manager Chris Hughton... "When he was at Brighton, he wasn't somebody that I thought was a natural finisher. He wasn't the type that you think will have one or two chances and he'll put one of them away. But you knew he would always get chances. "You knew he would because he always put himself in a position to get them. "If you asked me then, would I see him as a player that would play at one of the top clubs in the Premier League, then I would have to say probably no, more than yes. "When he went to Coventry, that would have been a decision by the club where they asked themselves if they saw that he was going to be a regular in the first team. Was the development process going to take longer than what they were prepared to wait for? "I watched him quite a few times when he was at Coventry. I was surprised that nobody took him, I must admit. "We all know the bigger Premier League clubs want ready-made players. But certainly, I thought perhaps a club that had come up from the Championship into the Premier League or that group of Premier League clubs that are still fighting for survival might have taken him. "What he's achieved is very much down to him. Going to Coventry and really developing his game, and then even more so abroad. "He was a bright lad. Probably because of where he came from, his English was very good, which I think helped. He was a very mature lad, for a young one. He was a confident lad. I think he had a strong belief in his own abilities. "If you're a No9 going to Arsenal, Liverpool, Man City, one thing you know is you're going to get lots of chances. I don't think it will faze him." TRANSFER NEWS LIVE - KEEP UP WITH ALL THE LATEST FROM A BUSY SUMMER WINDOW 11 ST PAULI (loan): 2019-20 Former assistant manager Andre Trulsen... "I had not heard of Viktor when we signed him on loan from Brighton. We were a Bundesliga 2 club. "But he came and joined us at St Pauli and I was very impressed. He was very physical and also knew how to use his attributes. He was eager to get better and worked hard to get more minutes during games. "Before the winter break, he worked really hard to adjust to German football and to play in our system. His efforts paid off and he played more for us in the second half of the season. "Viktor definitely played a part in us avoiding relegation and he gave everything. I could see his potential but as if often the case in football, you could not be sure he would be so successful. "On more than one occasion, we had to tell him to leave the training pitch because he never wanted to stop trying to get better. "I am sure his decision to come to Hamburg and play for St Pauli was helpful for his next step and I am so pleased he has done well in Portugal "Hopefully, he can be a big player for Arsenal and can help them to success." SWANSEA: Oct 2020 - Jan 2021 Former defender Ryan Bennett... "There are big similarities for me between Viktor and Harry Kane. "Viktor did not make many starts for us and was not at Swansea long and he was a bit sluggish although he did have a good mentality and was determined to succeed. "When I was at Norwich, Harry came to us on loan and did not play much so went back to Spurs. Later on, when I played against Spurs and Harry was in the team, it was like defending against a different player. "It was the same with Viktor after he left Swansea. I played against him after he had moved to Coventry and his power had developed, his mindset was different and he was more aggressive. Like Harry, he has turned into a really top player. "Viktor was a nice guy but struggled in Swansea and he could not drive although lived near me and sometimes I drove him to training. "I think it was also tough for him as his girlfriend at the time was a player and they had different schedules." COVENTRY: January 2021 - July 23 Former manager Mark Robins... "He is a brilliant lad. Good fun. Players loved him. Supporters loved him. "He has such a dry sense of humour. He would sing in the dressing room at that point. We used to sing Sweet Caroline after every victory, regardless. "He was almost robotic. He's metronomic with his timing, with his tempo, with everything that he did. That, in a nutshell, was why he did so well in that relatively short space of time and again, why he's gone on to do other things. "When we first took him on loan in January 2021, he hadn't played for four or five months. But he came in and expected to start the first 10 games but there was no way on this planet that he was in a position to do that. So he needed to be patient. "That's the thing with Vik, he's really focused, driven and in a rush. I remember against Charlton, in an Under-21s game, and he scored two goals and they were incredible. He showed power and pace. "I asked him at the end of that game, 'You ready?' He started to contribute more and started to look more like a player. "Towards the end of the season, you could see his trajectory was starting to go up. Then you could see he'd be a really good catch for the following season. "There was a lot of work that I did during the summer to convince him to come permanently. "He just went on to have two really good seasons. The second season, we just missed out on promotion, unfortunately. That was the only way we were going to keep him. And even then, we may have lost him. "Sporting was a really good move. They had been interested for a long time. "I think that move was already preordained and the decision was made. "He's become one of the most talked-about strikers in Europe over the last 18 months but he deserves everything he gets because of his focus. "At Arsenal, it will be really interesting to see where he goes and what he does." 11 Matt Godden was his strike partner at Coventry... "When he first came in, it was from January onwards, they signed him on loan from Brighton and he struggled a little bit. "But then we signed him permanently that summer because obviously the coaching staff saw something, saw some potential in him. "He came back that summer looking a completely different animal. It looked as though he had just gone away and smashed the gym. He came back an absolute animal and hit the ground running. "From then, we spent two years playing together and scored quite a few goals between us. "Then, he was adamant he was going to get us to the Premier League with his goals but unfortunately we lost on penalties to Luton. "There's a brilliant picture of me and him against Luton (Sep 2022) at Kenilworth Road after he had scored and I've got him by the throat and the emotions are just so high. We were both so determined after a poor result away at Norwich. "The story behind the picture is that there was all this stuff flying around that me and him didn't get along and we were both left out of the starting XI at Norwich, which was rare. "The gaffer left us both out and I remember my wife ringing me on the way home saying 'there's all this stuff flying around social media saying you and Vik have had a fight and you're not getting on'. "Vik was actually in the passenger seat of my car that day when she rang, I was giving him a lift to the airport and I said to my wife, 'Don't believe everything you read because he's sat next to me in the car! Nothing's gone on.' "And the following game we played Luton needing a result because we were struggling. We went 1-0 down and he scored a great goal after showing unbelievable pace. I've got a picture of it where I've got him by the throat. It was just pure emotion. "I play at Charlton now with Luton boys who beat us in the play-off final. "And every one of them say he's the best all-round Championship striker they'd seen or played against. "Sporting was a really clever move for him. He didn't want to go to a Premier League side that was going to struggle or a team that had been relegated into the Championship. "If you're putting chances on his plate and playing to his strengths, he's going to have a real impact, and he's done it in the Champions League so is proven at the top level. "There's no reason why he can't do well in the Premier League for Arsenal."
BreakingNews.ie
20 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Ruben Amorim says Manchester United will not let players go cheaply
Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim insists the club will not sell unwanted players on the cheap and he is prepared to welcome them back into the fold if necessary. Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, Antony and Tyrell Malacia were left out of the tour of the United States – Marcus Rashford subsequently went on loan to Barcelona – and the so-called 'bomb squad' have been training at the club's Carrington complex. Advertisement United's transfer dealings have been widely criticised in recent seasons and Amorim said chief executive Omar Berrada and sporting director Jason Wilcox would not be taken advantage of just to get rid of those surplus to requirements. Alejandro Garnacho is one of four unwanted players left at home by Manchester United (Peter Byrne/PA) 'Some players have to find a new place to have more space in the team and others clearly show they want a new challenge and want new teams,' Amorim told a press conference ahead of the the Premier League Summer Series game against West Ham on Saturday. 'We are just allowing these players to have time to think and to decide. If we reach a point where they have to join the team, they will join the team because they are our players. 'I know for a fact that these people, Omar and Jason, and the club have a number (price) for these players. If they don't reach that, they will be Manchester United players, no doubt about that. Advertisement 'I understand clubs are maybe waiting for the last minute, but they can have a surprise and I'm ready. I'm ready to receive the players. 'They have more competition – if you want to play in the World Cup you need to play, so I'm really happy with that because I have more options. If they have to fight each other to play, for me it is perfect.' United have spent about £130million on Matheus Cunha, Bryan Mbeumo and Diego Leon but are still in the market for a defensive midfielder and a striker. However, previous mis-steps on transfers mean United are being more circumspect this summer. Advertisement 'At the moment, our club needs to be really careful when we sign a player,' added Amorim. 'So if we have to start the season with this squad, I'm happy because all the players that are here want to be here – and that for me is the most important thing.'
Reuters
20 minutes ago
- Reuters
England coach Wiegman has learned to enjoy the good times
ZURICH, July 25 (Reuters) - Sarina Wiegman sang a celebratory song in her native Dutch when England clinched a spot in the Euro 2025 final. She attempted to high-five assistant Darren Ward, but missed. She admitted she planned to treat herself with a "glass of something nice." If England's women's coach was reserved when hired in 2021, she said she has grown into the role, and her passion has been on full display at the Euros, particularly through two nail-biting knockout victories in which the Lionesses were on the brink of elimination. "First of all, my English has improved, so I understand a lot more, but also you learn more about people you work with," she said on Friday. "You learn more again about yourself and while I'm always working on developing the team, I always try to keep developing myself. "What I really wanted to do over all these years is try to enjoy it a little bit more, you have to be focused in this job, but you need to celebrate the moments that are good, it's really nice." As England get ready to contest their third successive major final on Sunday, when they face world champions Spain in the Euro 2025 showpiece, Wiegman's players have described her as a second mum -- direct and demanding but caring and supportive. Ella Toone said the coach has been kind-hearted in the midfielder's first major tournament after the death of her father. Aggie Beever-Jones said after England's loss to France in their Euro opener, Wiegman put a consolatory arm around her and explained her reasons for not playing her in the game. Midfielder Keira Walsh called her "one of the best managers I've played for in terms of trying to make everyone feel loved". "It's a really difficult job when you're in a tournament, and obviously people want to play, people aren't, but she really, really cares about the human side," Walsh said. "Another thing that you notice when you play for her is how calm she is. It makes a massive difference in the 95th minute when you're losing 1-0, and you look to the side and she's very calm." Wiegman said the job can be a difficult balance. "I'm a caring person, so maybe that's the part, I care about them but at the same time I'm the coach, I'm making these hard decisions at the moment," she said. On Sunday, Wiegman will become the first person, in men's or women's soccer, to have coached teams in five consecutive major tournament finals. The 55-year-old, who is under contract through the 2027 World Cup, guided her native Netherlands to two finals before continuing that run with Euro 2022 champions England. Football Association executive Mark Bullingham said they will not let Wiegman leave for any amount of money, and Wiegman certainly does not sound like she is going anywhere. "I'm sorry, I'm still learning English but yes I have (fallen in love) with England," Wiegman said. "Otherwise I would not be sitting here with such a smile on my face. "This team has always shown so much resilience, I see that in abundance and I see that entirely through the prism of the Lionesses. They are absolutely the most resilient of people. They really want to work so hard and are so committed."
