Bath would have preferred to win last season’s Premiership final but maybe now this is destined to be their time. This bonus-point victory over the reigning champions, Northampton, gave an early glimpse of their capabilities and first-half tries from Joe Cokanasiga, Ted Hill and Ben Spencer paved the way for a strong performance that lays down a marker to all their rivals.
If it helped that Bath kept 15 players on the field this time, unlike at Twickenham last June, they showed more than enough composure with and without the ball to suggest they will be a tough nut to crack this time around. A near faultless goalkicking display from Finn Russell, who supplied 13 points, was another plus and even an improved second half from Northampton failed to turn the tide.
