Bath secured their second consecutive Premiership victory, defeating Exeter Chiefs 40-34 in a high-scoring encounter that served as poetic justice for the hosts following last season’s semi-final exit.
The match mirrored the drama of their previous meeting, with both sides committing to an open, attacking style of rugby. Bath took control early, scoring four tries in the first half to claim a bonus point before the interval. Cameron Redpath, Bernard van der Linde, Dan du Preez, and Finn Russell all crossed the whitewash, putting the home side ahead 26-10.
Exeter, led by director of rugby Rob Baxter, responded with characteristic resilience. Stephen Varney and Jack Yeandle had scored in the first half, but the Chiefs turned the game on its head within the first 15 minutes after the break. Josh Iosefa-Scott and a brace from England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso saw Exeter surge into a five-point lead, echoing their comeback from 16 points down in June’s semi-final.
However, Bath’s depth proved decisive. After Varney was sin-binned for a deliberate knock-on, replacement flanker Ted Hill powered over for a penalty try. Finn Russell’s conversions secured a buffer that Exeter could not overcome, despite a late penalty from Harvey Skinner that ensured the visitors left with a losing bonus point.
Bath director Johann van Graan praised his team’s ability to withstand the second-half onslaught. “It was a crazy game of rugby once again,” Van Graan said. “They came out punching after half-time and scored three unanswered tries, but that’s why this is a 23-man effort. The impact of our eight replacements made a really good difference.”
Baxter acknowledged the team’s fighting spirit despite the defeat. “The important emotion is I’m walking away going, ‘we’ve got a team here and we’ve got something to work with,'” he told BBC Radio Devon. “Do you want to be perfect or do you want to be in a fight every single week? Well, we’ll be in a fight every single week.”
The result leaves Bath with a maximum ten points from two games, while Exeter remain on ten points from two matches, having suffered a second consecutive defeat.
Van Graan’s tactics were spot on. How did Exeter not read the sin-bin timing?
Seventy-four points in one game? I need more Saturdays like this!
I still can’t believe Exeter blew that lead again. Psychology might be the real issue here.
Feyi-Waboso is on fire this season. Did you see those footwork skills?
What an incredible match! Bath’s bench really made the difference in that second half.