4 hours ago
1
The Prem
Bath (19) 40
Tries: Pepper, Repath, Du Toit, Cokanasiga, Underhill, Arundell Cons: Russell 5
Bristol (15) 15
Tries: Ravouvou, Oghre Cons: Worsley Pens: Worsley
Bath overcame a resilient Bristol 40-15 in a fierce west country derby at the Rec to move up to second in the Prem ahead of the league's four-week break.
Bristol had their neighbours on the back foot for much of the first half, opening a 10-point lead through Kalaveti Ravouvou and Gabriel Oghre tries and a Sam Worsley penalty.
But Bath mounted a rapid comeback, scoring twice in four minutes as Ollie Lawrence and Cameron Redpath added to Guy Pepper's earlier try to take a four-point lead at the break.
Bristol's defence impressively kept a relentless Bath at bay for long periods until Joe Cokanasiga added the fourth try to open daylight on the scoreboard, and a late flurry saw Sam Underhill and Henry Arundell add two more in the closing minutes.
Finn Russell's clearance from kick-off was charged down to put Bristol immediately on the front foot and it set the tone, as the ball recycled wide and Ravouvou scored with less than one minute on the clock.
Bath's first attack was held up and their second then repelled from a metre out yet, on the third, they found a way through, as the Bears' clearance only went as far as Russell on half-way and Pepper side-stepped Ravouvou before swan diving over to level the score.
As the conditions worsened, Bristol capitalised.
Scrum-half Kieron Marmion deftly crept to the front of a line-out and a one-two with Oghre, who threw the ball straight at him, allowed the hooker to run charge over and catch Bath totally off guard.
Sam Worsley then kicked another three points from the tee to make it 15-5 as tensions flared into scuffles.
Yet Bath were instantly galvanised and pulled one back when Russell chipped the ball for Lawrence to collect and touch down.
With their tails up, they came straight back at Bristol and after 10 phases of pressure, slick passing from Beno Obano and Tom Dunn helped Redpath go over in the corner as Bath somehow got to the break 19-15 ahead.
By the start of the second half the clouds had cleared and blue sky shone and Bath were relentless, camping Bristol in their own 22 and forcing constant defence.
They saw two tries chalked off as checks by the television match official (TMO) revealed knock-ons in both build ups before Bath found their bonus-point fourth try on 65 minutes.
With Santiago Grondona in the bin following a cumulation of penalties and six Bath replacements all brought on at once, Cokanasiga caught Russell's chip to open an 11-point lead.
Underhill powered over in the dying stages and as the clock ticked into an 86th minute and Bristol tried to score a fourth try of their own to take a point from the game, but Arundell snatched an interception and sprinted in for Bath's sixth.
Bath: Carreras; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Redpath, Arundell; Russell, Spencer (c); Obano, Dunn, Du Toit; Roux, Molony, Bayliss, Pepper, Reid.
Replacements: Tuipulotu, Van Wyk, Stuart, Richards, Underhill, Carr-Smith, Ojomoh, Barbeary.
Sin bin: Van Wyk (81)
Bristol: Elizalde; Bates, Moroni, Janse van Rensburg, Ravouvou; Worsley, Marmion; Genge, Oghre, Kloska; Rubiolo, Batley, S. Grondona, Harding (c), Mata.
Replacements: Thacker, Woolmore, Chawatama, Owen, B. Grondona, Lennon, Carrington, Fricker.
Sin bin: Santiago Grondona (59)
Referee: Ian Tempest
