Exeter 24 – 25 Bath: Player Ratings from a classic West Country derby

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By Joe Wilkinson, on their Ruck debut

Bath Rugby earned a hard-fought victory over a stubborn Exeter Chiefs at Sandy Park on Saturday afternoon.

A strong first half from the table-toppers suggested it could be a comfortable 80 minutes for Johann Van Graan's team, but a resurgent second half from Chiefs pushed Bath all the way.

In a match that typified the old cliche "a game of two halves", Bath had just enough to get themselves over the line, winning 24-26 to tighten their grip on top spot in the Premiership.

A promising start for Chiefs was quickly tempered by the league leaders at Sandy Park. Henry Slade's early penalty opened the scoring, but a penalty try from Bath captain Ben Spencer put the visitors ahead in the 10th minute.

Exeter's 15 Josh Hodge missed a catch from a Bath kick, which fell to his opponent Ewan Richards. The ball made its way to Spencer, who forced his way over the try line to get his side off the mark.

A Jack Yeandle try following some smart play from Greg Fisilau put the Chiefs back in front just before the 20th minute, however it was after this point that Bath started to show their class. Quickfire tries from Niall Annett, Josh Bayliss and Will Muir all before the 30th minute seemingly took the game away from Chiefs in the blink of an eye, proving just how clinical this Bath side can be.

Finn Russell's conversions put his team 10-26 up at half time, and left Chiefs with serious work to do in the second 40 to take anything from this match.

Another Bath try looked on the cards early on after the restart, but some good defending from Chiefs and important contributions from captain Dafydd Jenkins saw them ride out the pressure.

Replacements then came for both sides, but it was starting winger Paul Brown-Bampoe who would spark Exeter's hopes of a comeback. Some brilliant work from Hodge in the middle of the park allowed him to find Brown-Bampoe bursting down the right, who showed his pace to score on the 49th minute.

Hodge swept up a loose ball to set Chiefs away 10 minutes later, where some quick hand-offs with Joe Hawkins put Brown-Bampoe in again to score his second try of the game, and conversions for both from the ever-reliable Henry Slade put Chiefs back within 2 points with just 20 minutes of the game remaining.

Chiefs huffed and puffed in the final quater of the game, but it wasn't to be. A poor knock-on from Cameron Redpath broke down Bath's most promising attack, before Brown-Bampoe found himself free again, and thought he was in for a third try, only for it to be brought back by the referee for a forward pass in the build-up.

Some impressive game management followed, with many in blue and white showing their experience, helping their side to see out an important victory and keeping the final score at 24-26. The result sees

Bath remain top of the standings, with a 20-point cushion over Gloucester in 5th place, whilst Chiefs remain second bottom, with very little left to play for in the Devon side's remaining games this season.

Exeter Chiefs: 24

TRIES: 3 (Yeandle 18', Brown-Bampoe 49', 58')

CONVERSIONS: 3 (Slade 19', 50', 59')

PENALTIES: 1 (Slade 4')

DROP GOALS: 0

YELLOW CARDS: 1 (Jenkins 10')

RED CARDS: 0

15. Josh Hodge 14. Ben Hammersley 13. Henry Slade 12. Joe Hawkins 11. Paul Brown-Bampoe 10. Harvey Skinner 9. Tom Cairns 1. Scott Sio 2. Jack Yeandle 3. Marcus Street 4. Rusi Tuima 5. Dafydd Jenkins (Captain) 6. Martin Moloney 7. Richard Capstick 8. Greg Fisilau

Replacements

16. Max Norey 17. Kwenzo Blose 18. Jimmy Roots 19. Jacques Vermeulen 20. Ross Vintcent 21. Niall Armstrong 22. Will Haydon-Wood 23. Will Rigg

Bath Rugby: 25

TRIES: 4 (Spencer 10', Annett 23', Bayliss 26', Muir 28')

CONVERSIONS: 2 (Russell 27', 29')

PENALTIES: 1 (Russell)

DROP GOALS: 0

YELLOW CARDS: 0

RED CARDS: 0

15. Tom De Glanville 14. Ruaridh McConnochie 13. Max Ojomoh 12. Cameron Redpath 11. Will Muir 10. Finn Russell 9. Ben Spencer (Captain) 1. Francois Van Wyk 2. Niall Annett 3. Thomas Du Toit 4. Ewan Richards 5. Charlie Ewels 6. Josh Bayliss 7. Miles Reid 8. Arthur Green

Replacements

16. Tom Dunn 17. Beno Obano 18. Will Stuart 19. Ross Molony 20. Ted Hill 21. Louis Schreuder 22. Orlando Bailey 23. Alfie Barbeary

Exeter Chiefs player ratings

15. Josh Hodge – 7

Impressive second half showing from the Chiefs full-back. Had a key role in two tries despite a couple of missed catches causing some problems for his team.

14. Ben Hammersley – 6

Relatively quiet game from the winger. Some encouraging moments but outshone by others on the pitch.

13. Henry Slade – 7

Steady performance and consistent kicking from the centre. Some good handling in the build-up to Brown-Bampoe’s second try.

12. Joe Hawkins – 5

Underwhelming return to the matchday side for the Welshman. Missed an important tackle on Bayliss before Bath's 4th try, however, much like many of his teammates, was improved in the second half.

11. Paul Brown-Bampoe – 8

Scored 2 tries to give his side hope of a comeback and looked ever lively down the Chiefs right wing.

10. Harvey Skinner – 5

The fly half struggled to have an impact compared to his opposite number.

9. Tom Cairns – 5

Replaced by Armstrong early in the second half, which coincided with Chiefs finally gaining a foothold in the game.

1. Scott Sio – 6

Somewhat overran in the first half. Managed to establish himself in the game after half time before being replaced by Blose.

2. Jack Yeandle – 7

Well taken try, where he showed good desire to force the ball over the line. Solid whilst he was on the field.

3. Marcus Street – 6

Moments where he went missing during the Bath onslaught in the first half. Much like fellow prop Sio, much improved after half time.

4. Rusi Tuima – 6

Strong physical presence for the Chiefs but overwhelmed at times in the first half.

5. Dafydd Jenkins – 7

Poor yellow card early on for an offside tackle, however his team coped well in his absence. A number crucial and impressive defensive contributions in the second half to see off moments of Bath pressure.

6. Martin Moloney – 5

Quiet game after 2 consecutive player of the day awards until he was replaced by Vermeulen shortly after half time.

7. Richard Capstick – 6

Much like Moloney, the back row struggled in the first half. Lasted 10 minutes more than his fellow back row before being replaced.

8. Greg Fisilau – 7

Good awareness to set up Yeandle's try. Was industrious and creative throughout.

Replacements – 5

Front row replacements failed to match the quality brought on by Bath and lost a couple of key scrums in the latter stages of the match.

Bath Rugby player ratings

15. Tom De Glanville – 7

Made a number of piercing runs to set his team on the attack. Put in a good shift after moving to the wing in the second half.

Competent and reliable performance from the winger.

13. Max Ojomoh – 6

Struggled to have much of an impact bar a couple of moments in the first half.

12. Cameron Redpath – 5

Solid enough but a poor knock-on cost Bath their most promising attack of the second half.

11. Will Muir – 7

Showed great pace for his try to round off Bath's flurry in the first half. Unlucky to be forced off through injury.

10. Finn Russel – 6

Inconsistent kicking and an all-round underwhelming game from the Scotsman. Still earned his team important points through two conversions.

9. Ben Spencer – 7

Arguably more important than his try was a huge tackle on Josh Hodge in the closing stages. A proper captain's performance.

1. Francois Van Wyk – 6

Set up Bayliss' try nicely but went missing slightly as Chiefs grew into the second half.

2. Niall Annett – 7

A tough start for the hooker was quickly put behind him after his try put his team ahead on the 23rd minute.

3. Thomas Du Toit – 7

Was an immense physical unit for much of the game and his replacements matched his levels after he departed.

4. Ewan Richards – 8

Really impressive performance from the lock. Took responsibility on the ball and caused Chiefs countless problems across the afternoon.

5. Charlie Ewels – 6

Made a poor mistake from kick-off, handing the initiative straight to Exeter, but improved as the game wore on.

6. Josh Bayliss – 8

Once he settled into the game, Bayliss showed his class, and was the key player for Bath as they opened the floodgates in the first half. Dug in after half time and helped his team see out a key result.

7. Miles Reid – 6

Conceded an important penalty during Exeter's resurgence, but was reliable and lively otherwise.

8. Arthur Green – 8

A standout on his first Premiership start. Linked up well with his teammates and recycled possession a number of times to keep his side on the front foot.

Replacements – 7

Obano and Stuart showed their power and experience to hold off Chiefs, winning two huge scrum penalties and kept their opponents at bay in key moments.

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