Another week, another rip-roaring West Country derby. This time, though, it was an increasingly rampant Bath who headed home with the bragging rights after recovering from an 11-point deficit to collect an eight-try victory and their highest points tally against their neighbours in the fabled history of this fixture.
In addition to two close-range tries for prop Beno Obano, Bath’s success was based on their better decision-making, breakdown superiority and surer execution under pressure. Ted Hill and Ollie Lawrence were outstanding and there was a visible desire to atone for the disappointing home loss to Bristol at the Rec last Saturday. Six second-half tries also further underlined the quality of their bench resources.
It was harsh on a few Cherry and White individuals. Ollie Thorley on the right wing was like a man possessed, Zach Mercer and Josh Hathaway had their eye-catching moments and the young England Under-20 prop Afolabi Fasogbon once again looked a significant talent in the making. In the final analysis, though, Gloucester could not sustain the best of themselves for 80 minutes and their lineout and defence clearly remain works in progress.
The home director of rugby, George Skivington, still wants his team to stay true to their attacking instincts but accepted that six squandered lineouts and a costly tendency to overplay at times had undone much of their good work. “Bath scored at least four tries from us making a wrong decision in attack and being reckless rather than organised,” said Skivington, whose side lost the second half 38-7. “We know that’s the risk of playing the way we’re playing but I think we can be better on both sides of the ball.”
At least it all made for a slightly more encouraging spectacle for the longsuffering Shed faithful. Feisty, loud, eventful: for the first 40 minutes a raucous home crowd were gleefully lapping it all up. Gloucester endured a lean season last year and the collective release of pent-up local joy was mighty as their team began like Cheltenham Gold Cup pacesetters. Bath did score first via a well-worked try by Obano after a smart tap penalty move but the hosts swiftly responded with three excellent tries of their own within 16 minutes.
The centre Max Llewellyn scored the first after smart some interplay with the rapid Hathaway and Tomos Williams nipped over for a second after 20 minutes. The best was yet to come, though, with Mercer surging clear and finding Williams who put the replacement Charlie Atkinson over for a smashing try.
With Arthur Clark injured in the warm-up and Freddie Thomas and Gareth Anscombe not making it beyond the first 22 minutes, though, Gloucester needed to stay focused tactically. It was unhelpful, then, when hooker Jack Singleton attempted a hopeful chip ahead five metres from his own line to gave Bath a great attacking platform which ended with Finn Russell twisting over.
The visitors were also being kept in it by Hill, repackaged as a lock for the afternoon. The former Worcester captain was brilliant in the air in open field and a menace at the lineout, reducing the amount of ball available to Gloucester’s hungry backs.
There was still scope, even so, for the powerful Thorley to remind everyone of his ability and the captain, Lewis Ludlow, ensured the Glaws line held firm when another Bath score seemed inevitable. At the other end there was almost a second score for Williams but, after a thrilling chase, Hathaway was adjudged to have dived on top of the scrambling Austin Emens, the debutant visiting wing who has previously impressing for the University of Bath and GB sevens.
After the interval, though, it was increasingly one-sided. The hard-to-stop Obano crashed over from short range just four minutes after the restart to level the scores at 24-24 and when Atkinson stopped a sniping Ben Spencer from an offside position close to the line the outcome was a penalty try and a yellow card.
Bath were swift to exploit their numerical advantage, working the hard-working Josh Bayliss over before a turnover on the Gloucester 22 allowed Tom de Glanville to race 80m to score at the other end.
The determined Thorley claimed himself a deserved try to secure a try bonus point, with George Barton coolly drop-kicking the conversion after the ball had topped from the tee, but the irresistible Lawrence and Jaco Coetzee added further late tries to propel the visitors past the half-century.
