Edinburgh v Bath - teams and prediction

SEMIFINAL PREVIEW: Edinburgh will take on Bath in their Challenge Cup semifinal in what promises to be a thrilling encounter between two of Europe’s top teams.

Edinburgh have only lost one match in this season’s competition, earning their place in the semi-finals with a thrilling 34-28 win over the Bulls at home in April.

With another home match now on the cards, and players including Wes Goosen, who has made the most carries this season, and Darcy Graham, who leads in both meters gained and clean breaks, the Scottish side will have their sights set on their first Challenge Cup Final since 2015, when they lost to Gloucester.

Bath advanced to the semifinal after an impressive 110-point knockout stage with commanding wins over Section Paloise and Gloucester.

They are aiming to continue their pursuit of a rare treble of titles this season, having already secured the Premiership Cup and currently dominating the Premiership.

Bath are no doubt looking to go all the way, having last made the Challenge Cup Final in 2014, where they lost to Northampton Saints.

The teams last met in the Challenge Cup in 2022 in Edinburgh, with the home team winning that encounter 41-19.

When Scottish outfit Edinburgh fended off a spirited comeback from the Bulls in the quarter-finals, they delighted in the knowledge that their shot at a major final would fall at the Hive Stadium.

Now in the final days of preparation for their Challenge Cup semifinal, this weekend’s visitors, Bath, promise to serve up their own challenges.

Currently sitting pretty at the helm of England’s Premiership, as well as a Premiership Cup already under their belt, Bath will head up to the Scottish capital confident they can keep their treble charge on track.

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💬 “It’s a massive game to measure ourselves against the best.”

Get the latest from Head Coach Sean Everitt as he spoke with media ahead of Saturday’s Semi-Final clash with @BathRugby pic.twitter.com/pAmLkM6QCB

— Edinburgh Rugby (@EdinburghRugby) April 30, 2025

All too aware of the threats Bath posed, Everitt was quick to praise the Blue, Black and Whites.

“Yes, they’ve been the form team by a long shot”, he started.

“They’ve got a good all-round team defensively, kick and game as well as with their attack.”

And their strong XV is only reinforced by a formidable squad depth – something the Edinburgh boss is all too wary of.

“We know that Bath are full of internationals as well. In some positions, they’re double internationals. So for us it’s about an 80-minute effort so that we can contain what they bring off the bench”, he said.

If the Scottish side were to overcome Bath come Saturday, it would be their second Challenge Cup final to date.

But the promise of reaching a second shot at a trophy also brings with it the risk of going home empty-handed at the final four stage – something Everitt is using as extra motivation.

“It’s important. When you get dumped out of a semifinal, you feel like you haven’t achieved anything. I’ve had experience of that when you get into the final.

“You’ve got everything to play for, but you’ve reached the pinnacle, and we’re not there yet. So it’s a massive game for us to be able to enjoy.”, he said.

Using this as a way to rally the local troops to come out and show their support, the coach stressed the importance of wanting to give back to the fans.

“Every time we run out at home, we want to do Edinburgh proud”.

Extra-time protocol

In the event of a drawn match at the end of normal time during the knockout stage, extra time will be played. If the scores remain tied at the end of extra time, the winner will be determined as follows:

(a) The team that has scored the most tries in the match (including extra-time) shall be deemed the winner; or,
(b) If equal on tries, by a place-kick competition.

Prediction

@rugby365com: Edinburgh by five points

Teams

Edinburgh 15 Wes Goosen, 14 Darcy Graham, 13 Matt Currie, 12 James Lang, 11 Harry Paterson, 10 Ross Thompson, 9 Ali Price, 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Jamie Ritchie, 5 Grant Gilchrist (captain), 4 Sam Skinner, 3 D’arcy Rae, 2 Ewan Ashman, 1 Pierre Schoeman.
Replacements: 16 Paddy Harrison, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Javan Sebastian, 19 Glen Young, 20 Ben Muncaster, 21 Charlie Shiel, 22 Ben Healy, 23 Mosese Tuipulotu.

Bath: 15 Tom de Glanville, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 13 Cameron Redpath, 12 Will Butt, 11 Will Muir, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Ben Spencer (captain), 8 Miles Reid, 7 Sam Underhill, , 6 Guy Pepper, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Quinn Roux, 3 Thomas du Toit, 2 Tom Dunn, 1 Beno Obano.
Replacements: 16 Niall Annett, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ross Molony, 20 Ted Hill, 21 Louis Schreuder, 22 Ciaran Donoghue, 23 Alfie Barbeary.

Date: Saturday, May 3
Venue: Edinburgh
Kick-off: 15.00 (14.00 GMT)
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (Georgia
Assistant referee: Ludovic Cayre (France), Craig Evans (Wales)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)

Source: @ChallengeCup_