Another week, another rip-roaring West Country derby. This time, though, it was Bath who headed home with the bragging rights after recovering from an 11-point first-half deficit to secure 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 greater cohesion and better decision-making under pressure. Ted Hill and Ollie Lawrence were both outstanding and there was clearly a collective element of looking to atone for their disappointing home loss to Bristol at the Rec last Saturday. Six second-half tries also again underlined the strength of their bench resources.
It was harsh on some 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 U20 prop Afolabi Fasogbon 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 clearly still have defensive work to do.
At least it all made for a slightly less gloomy spectacle for the long-suffering Shed faithful. Feisty, loud, eventful: for the first 40 minutes a raucous home crowd were lapping it all up gleefully. Gloucester had a lean old season last year and the collective release of pent-up local joy was mighty as their team started like Cheltenham Gold Cup pacesetters. Bath had scored first via a well worked try by Obano following a smart tap penalty move but the hosts responded with three excellent tries of their own in the space of 16 minutes.
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 then 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 distinctly sub optimal, then, when hooker Jack Singleton attempted a hopeful chip over the top 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 line-out, 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 skipper Lewis Ludlow was at the forefront of a gallant Glaws defensive effort which held firm when another Bath score seemed a matter of time. At the other end there was almost a second score for Williams but, after a thrilling chase, Hathaway was adjudged to have dived on to a backtracking Austin Emens, the debutant visiting wing who has previously impressing for the University of Bath and GB sevens.
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Within four minutes of the restart, though, the scores were level at 24-24 after the hard-to-stop Obano crashed over from short range again. Gloucester were suddenly wobbling and when Charlie Atkinson stopped a sniping Ben Spencer from an offside position the outcome was a penalty try and a yellow card.
The home director of rugby, George Skivington, has been clear that he wants his team to keep playing but Bath were swift to exploit their numerical advantage, working the hard-working Josh Bayliss over on the short side. The determined Thorley claimed himself a deserved try to secure a try bonus point, with George Barton coolly knocking over a drop-goal conversion after the ball had topped from the tee, but the irresistible Lawrence band Jaco Coetzee added further late tries to take the visitors past the half-century.
