Match Report: Bath Rugby 38 – 16 Northampton Saints

Northampton Saints began their Gallagher Premiership campaign with a 38-16 loss to Bath Rugby at the Recreation Ground. 

Bath’s Joe Cokanasiga started the scoring in a topsy turvy first-half, and while a try for Saints debutant Josh Kemeny and three points from Fin Smith’s boot put the visitors back in contention, Bath held a 21-10 lead at the break as Ted Hill and Ben Spencer also crossed the whitewash. 

Saints improved in the second-half, dominating territory and possession until the hour-mark and adding two more Smith penalties to bring themselves back within five-points, but tries from Ollie Lawrence and Jaco Coetzee swung the game back in Bath’s favour and left Saints too far behind to recover.

FIRST HALF:

Bath drew first blood, pushing into Saints’ 22 and playing with a penalty advantage there. Eventually their sustained pressure paid off and it was Cokanasiga who got round the corner to score out wide. 

Russell added the extras for Bath and Smith had the chance to open Saints’ account just after when Northampton’s forwards earned themselves a penalty at the scrum, but his kick drifted just right of the uprights. 

Russell also sent a kick at goal wide, and Saints pulled level on the 20-minute mark. It was a debut score for Saints’ newest Australian recruit, as captain George Furbank sliced his way through Bath’s defence to set back row Kemeny loose out on the left, before Smith’s conversion drew the scores level. 

The game continued to move back and forth, and Bath scored next. The home side came at Saints’ line at pace, with Will Butt breaking through the middle and finding Ben Spencer on his shoulder, only for the scrum-half to then find Hill who crossed under the posts. 

Smith added three points for Saints from the tee after Bath were penalised for holding on at the breakdown, but Bath hit straight back again with the final score of the half when Spencer sniped over after Bath’s maul got them close to Northampton’s line. 

SECOND HALF:

The teams returned to the field with the scoreboard 21-10 in Bath’s favour, and while Saints thought they’d scored on 48 minutes as James Ramm got to Smith’s chip over the tryline first, a trip to the TMO chalked that effort off the scoreboard. 

Smith added two penalties from the tee for Saints, who were now in the ascendency, but Bath hit back once again against the run of play to seal the bonus point, sending Lawrence over after the centre pounced on loose ball within Saints’ 22. 

Russell added both the conversion and another three points from the tee after that, and when Saints were reduced to 14 men – as Kemeny saw a yellow card for illegally entering a maul – Bath added a final score through Coetzee from short range.

Saints return to Gallagher Premiership action next weekend as they host their first league match of the season at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens, when Exeter Chiefs come to Northampton for Round 2 on Saturday 28 September (kick-off: 5.30pm).

LINE-UPS:

BATH: De Glanville, Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Butt, Muir, Russell, Spencer; Obano, Dunn, Stuart, Roux, Ewels, Hill, Reid, Barbeary. 
Replacements: Annett, Van Wyk, Griffin, Du Plessis, Pepper, Schreuder, Bailey, Coetzee.

SAINTS: Furbank (c), Ramm, Dingwall, Hutchinson, Sleightholme, F Smith, James; Iyogun, C Langdon, Davison, Scott-Young, Munga, Kemeny, Pearson, Graham. 
Replacements: R Smith, West, Green, Hunter-Hill, Augustus, McParland, Thame, Freeman.