It was a dominant performance for title contenders Bath in their first PREM game for two months as they mounted a comeback from ten points down to end the game with a seven-try advantage. The match finished Bath 62-15 Saracens.
Henry Arundell was the only player to get more than one try, but eight different Bath players managed to get scores of their own while the Saracens floundered.
Josh Bayliss stars as Bath captures the moment
A line-out for Bath from kick-off might have had the home fans excited for what was to come, but Ben Spencer’s attempt to clear was a fickle one, which allowed Tobias Elliot to capitalise on a blindside overload that enabled him to run in and score five for Saracens.
Owen Farrell would put the visitors up by double digits in the 14th minute, thanks to an offside call against Bath that resulted in a penalty.
Almost immediately after, Ollie Lawrence would benefit from poor Sarries defending as he came close to scoring from another Bath line-out—Lawrence’s efforts were rewarded by the subsequent scrum being driven over the line by a surging Will Muir on the left wing, Finn Russell proceeding to add two on top.
Supporters at the Rec were then able to witness a delightful 50:22 from Finn Russell that jump-started a Bath attack ending in a phenomenal run from Josh Bayliss where he breezed past three defenders to put his side up 12-10, with Russell’s conversion making it 14.
Another mistake from Saracens led to a Bath penalty close to the try-line, and while there was a valiant effort to defend, it ultimately ended in a Alfie Barbeary try against the very side he will be employed by in only a few months to turn a ten-point deficit for his side into an 11-point lead as Russell converted yet again.
With ten minutes to go till half’s end, a Theo Dan breakaway was enough for Sarries to gain significant ground on their opponents as a smooth passing sequence found Elliott in acres of space for his second try of the game and the score at 21-15.
The visitors looked to threaten the scoreboard once again as the half wound down, but Henry Arundell was able to catch Owen Farrell off guard and fly down the pitch for five more, with Finn Russell adding the extra.
Another penalty in favour of Bath enabled the Scotsman to kick for three more, of which he duly obliged, and the opening forty minutes ended with a scoreline of 31-15 to the home team.
Second half compounding
Some last-ditch defending from Bath would get the 2025 champions off in the second half, similar to how they ended the first, with a ruck deep in their end turning into Ben Spencer running from his half of the pitch into the try area—before taking a knock to the shoulder while scoring but deciding to play on.
The score became 43-15 before much longer, as substitute Kepu Tuipulotu launched out a maul with impressive gall for a forward in what was his second action of the match, following up by beating his man and going down for the try.
Saracens thought they were on the road to a comeback as Max Malins latched on to a Farrell kick, but the substitute full-back was deemed to have knocked the ball on and no try was awarded.
Theo Dan would be handed the first card of the game in the 62nd minute, as the Saracens hooker pounced on a ball-winning opportunity before being penalised for offside.
Bath extended their point haul to half a century with Arundell getting try number two of his night, on a quick attack that saw the home side in a five-on-one scenario before Arundell ran for the score. Russell converted yet again, claiming the extra two points for his team to make 50 and making his sixth conversion of the night.
Arundell would then turn from try-scorer to try-maker, heaving a pass from the wing all the way over to Ollie Lawrence, who played in substitute Guy Pepper to cap off the move and make it 55.
Russell got his seventh extra points attempt through, and it was not long before Bath got try number 9 and the final scoring sequence of the game, Bernard van der Linde picking off Gareth Simpson and taking off through a narrow gap to put the final score at 62-15.
Josh Bayliss won player of the match, with a memorable performance in all aspects of the game as he led his team to victory.
