Despite finding theirselves up by three tries only 22 minutes into the game, Northampton Saints eventually allowed Bath to claw the score back to 35-26 by half time, with the home side able to get the better of Northampton by the time of the final whistle—the scoreboard reading 43-41.
This meant that Bath were the first team to progress to the Champions Cup quarter-finals, where they will play the winner of Stade Toulousain and Bordeaux Beglès in the semis, with the two French teams set to do battle on April 12.
Saints ‘disappointed’ with Champions Cup exit, says rugby director Phil Dowson
Bath did not give up in any minute of their visit to Saints’ ground, and eventually it paid off as flanker Ted Smith battled to the line to get the decisive final score, with Finn Russell converting the conversion—with Bath’s winner aided by the fact that Saints star Henry Pollock found his way into the sin bin.
Speaking on what was a disappointing loss, Northampton’s Phil Dowson stated:
“Credit to Bath. We were 28-7 ahead but never looked comfortable… we had many opportunities to win that game but we didn’t manage to do it—Bath take the lead in the 76th minute and we couldn’t get it back… we are obviously disappointed with the result.
“We need to make sure we don’t get too emotional about it and focus on next week and the rest of the season.”
This contrasted the mood of Bath boss Johann Van Graan, who was complimentary about the Saints’ efforts while praising his team’s resilience and eventual comeback:
“I’ve been fortunate to be involved in rugby for a long time, and this game certainly ranks as one of the best I have been involved in. [Bath and Northampton are] two amazing teams… I want to give credit to Northampton – what a team they are. They put us under huge pressure… but what a fightback from our team… it is amazing to see [the Bath players] living out their dreams.”
It is feasible that Northamptonshire and Bath will meet again in the final of the PREM, given that the two teams are battling for first in the domestic league and have created a comfortable gap to third-placed Leicester.
You can see Read Rugby Union’s full match report of the Saints vs. Bath matchup here.
