Get Newsletter

Bath eye home run in play-offs

With an in-form squad free of the major injuries that proved vital last season, head coach Mike Ford admits Bath have their sights on a home Premiership semifinal after a bonus-point victory over London Irish.

The hosts trailed 12-13 at the interval thanks to Tom Court's late first-half try but overwhelmed the Exiles after the restart to score four tries in a little over 20 minutes – winning 43-18.

Leroy Houston grabbed the first from a scrum, before further scores for Jonathan Joseph, Matt Banahan and man-of-the-match Sam Burgess, capping a sterling performance in his new role at blindside flanker to secure the extra point.

Semesa Rokoduguni scored a fifth before Blair Cowan's late consolation try, as Bath moved to within one point of leaders Northampton Saints with their fourth consecutive Premiership victory.

And with the likes of Francois Louw, Matt Garvey and Rob Webber all fighting fit in contrast to an injury-plagued end to last year, Ford is confident his side are ready to challenge for the title.

Bath eye home run in play-offs"I thought we played well in the first half, we made a lot of line breaks and beat a lot of defenders but it was a funny game because we couldn't build any pressure in terms of phases," he said.

"We stayed composed at half time, kept reiterating to play the way we train, with tempo and the start to the second half was brilliant – to get five tries in the end was very pleasing.

"Last year was different as we lost Francois Louw, Matt Garvey, and Rob Webber, while George Ford was playing with a dodgy shoulder and we played some good teams at the end of the season.

"This year is completely different, Davey Wilson and Henry Thomas are coming back soon, we've got another week's rest and we're in a good position.

"Sam Burgess' skill set is his work rate, the carries and tackles he makes – he's in the back field as well, so teams are going to have to be pretty careful if they kick the ball to us at the moment.

"We're after a home semi-final but there are some very good teams that have been in the top four for many years so we're prepare well for Harlequins next."

Bath eye home run in play-offsFor the visitors, they will ultimately be left to rue a lack of possession after the break that allowed Bath to assert their dominance and extend their winning run over the Exiles to five games.

Yet interim head coach Glenn Delaney insists there was plenty his side can take from their first-half performance to ensure they end their season on a high.

"It was a great first half from us, we showed resilience and character in spite of a lot of adversity to go in at half time ahead," he said.

"Then the second half is something that we want to forget – we didn't have any possession until the last five minutes so without possession against a good attacking team, defensively you're under the pump.

"We didn't defend well enough in that second half, didn't slow enough ball down and they were very good in attack.

"We were in good form – we came into this game as a top-six form team based on the previous six games and clearly this is not the level.

"The reality is that if you want to live with the big boys you've got to deal with the physicality and we've got to work on that, but the signs are very bright and we lost to a very good Bath team."

Source: @premrugby

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Boks Office | Episode 32 | How To Win Europe

Round 12 Highlights | PWR 2024/25

Bristol Bears vs Gloucester-Hartpury | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo vs Kobelco Kobe Steelers | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match

Edinburgh vs Brython | Celtic Challenge 2024/25 | Match Highlights

Yokohama Canon Eagles vs Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo | Japan Rugby League One 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Global Schools Challenge | Day 2 Replay

AUSTRALIA vs USA behind the scenes | HSBC SVNS Embedded | E04

Write A Comment