Bath Rugby climbed to the top of the Premiership standings following a thrilling 11-try encounter against Exeter Chiefs at the Recreation Ground. The match, characterized by its intensity, saw Bath ultimately prevail, although they faced a strong challenge from their rivals.
At halftime, Bath led 26-10, but Exeter mounted a vigorous comeback, taking the lead 33-31 midway through the second half. A crucial yellow card issued to Exeter’s scrum-half Stephen Varney proved to be a turning point in the match.
Bath’s scoring was bolstered by tries from Cam Redpath, Dan du Preez, Bernard van der Linde, Ted Hill, and Finn Russell, who also added four conversions and a penalty try. Exeter’s Immanuel Feyi-Waboso shone brightly with two tries, while Jack Yeandle, Josh Iosefa-Scott, and Varney contributed to their total. Henry Slade successfully converted three of Exeter’s tries, and Harvey Skinner added a late penalty.
Johann Van Graan, Bath’s director of rugby, expressed his satisfaction with the team’s performance, highlighting the importance of the early lead they built. “We aimed to start strong, and we did, establishing a solid first-half advantage,” he noted. “Although Exeter dominated the third quarter, our substitutes made a significant impact, enabling us to finish the match strongly and secure five important points. It was particularly gratifying to see Jaco Coetzee back in action after nearly two years; along with Will Stuart, who also returned, they made a notable difference.” Van Graan also praised a pivotal scrum that shifted momentum in Bath’s favor.
Exeter’s director of rugby, Rob Baxter, reflected positively on his team’s performance despite the loss. “I was very pleased with our intent and physicality; we came out fighting from the start. Even being down by 16 points at halftime, I felt we were somewhat unlucky. Their early tries came as we were attacking, and some fortunate bounces went their way,” he commented. “This match was a significant improvement over last week’s performance and lays a solid foundation for us going forward.”
The match began with Bath taking control as Redpath intercepted a pass from Skinner, sprinting 50 meters to score. Van der Linde soon followed with a try after breaking through the Exeter defense. Russell converted both attempts, giving Bath a 14-0 advantage by the end of the first quarter.
Exeter responded with an impressive effort from Feyi-Waboso, who broke through Bath’s defense to assist Varney in scoring. Bath then capitalized on a fortunate bounce, allowing Du Preez to score from close range. Exeter managed to stay in contention with a driving lineout try from Yeandle, but Bath’s pressure resulted in Russell scoring a bonus-point try before halftime, extending their lead to 26-10.
After the break, Exeter quickly scored two tries. Iosefa-Scott powered over from close range, followed by Feyi-Waboso, who showcased his strength to evade defenders. Slade’s conversions brought Exeter within two points. The Chiefs then took the lead when former Bath player Will Butt assisted Feyi-Waboso for his second try. A yellow card for Varney led to a penalty try for Bath, allowing Hill to push through for a score in Varney’s absence. Although Slade missed a penalty attempt, Skinner successfully converted later, giving Exeter two bonus points from the match.
