Following a 31-22 win for Bath over Saracens in the Investec Champions Cup clash at the Recreation Ground on Saturday, here’s our player ratings for the hosts.
Backs
15 Santiago Carreras: The Argentine star started incredibly poorly, fumbling the ball in the build-up for what should have been a certain try for Henry Arundell in the corner. He didn’t appear settled at all in the first half, making mistake after mistake, but the second half was a completely different story. His confidence grew, as did his impact on the game. He ran hard and jinked in and out of tackles as he helped Bath to some good go-forward ball. His work with his wing partners cannot be understated. 6
14 Joe Cokanasiga: The giant wing made one mistake all game, being sold the dummy by Charlie Bracken for a Saracens try, but was infallible from then on. His first major impact occurred right at the start of the match, when he put the Saracens back three under immense pressure to force a penalty. But as always, it was his attack that truly set him apart. He carried well and dominated the aerial battle throughout, giving Bath guaranteed possession under the high ball. He superbly took advantage of a disorganised Saracens defence to score a brilliant solo try, and later did particularly well to beat Tom Willis on the outside, before popping the ball inside to Alfie Barbeary for Bath’s breakaway try. 8
13 Ollie Lawrence: Was all but invisible in the opening 40, but made a good turnover in the second half and ran a couple of good lines to put Bath in the ascendancy. He showed up when it really mattered, diving over from close range to take Bath further into the lead in the dying minutes. 6
12 Max Ojomoh: The one club man displayed smooth hands and elusive running throughout. He was one of the few players to put in a full match performance. His notable moment being an incredible tackle on Fergus Burke, which stopped the Saracens 10 from scoring, resulting in a 14-point turnaround try for Bath. 7
11 Henry Arundell: The England speedster took a huge early hit from Tobias Elliott, but, like he would all day, smoothly offloaded the ball to a supporting player. Later, he made an odd decision to sling the ball inside to Ben Spencer during a line break, which ended up careering off the scrum half’s shin, but he made up for it with a terrific individual score just minutes later. Despite having limited touches of the ball, he made a team high of 118 metres carried. 7
10 Finn Russell: Looked lost on the field, weak in the tackle, and had the ball turned over multiple times. Made a great clearance kick early into the second half, but even that looked like a mistake. Made no visible positive impact on the side. Looked nothing like his normal self. 2
9 Ben Spencer: His variation of passing gave Bath a huge advantage, beating the first defenders every time with his excellent fizzed ball. He ran the Bath attack in the absence of an on-form Russell, dictating the forwards around the park and putting in vital territorial kicks when needed. His shining glory came midway through the second half when he showed a clean pair of heels to Owen Farrell as he sprinted for the line to take Bath ahead by two scores. 7
Forwards
8 Alfie Barbeary: The Saracens-bound number eight gave a good account of himself, using all of his power to dent his future club’s defensive line, as well as leading the tackle stats with 15 and missing none. He was the emotional heartbeat of the squad, often appearing from the bottom of a ruck with a red face and a booming voice as he urged his team on. 7
7 Guy Pepper: Some great work in the lineout, and made some huge tackles. He was also relentless in the breakdown, making an unbelievable turnover in the maul as the game neared its endpoint. 7
6 Josh Bayliss: Did well in the lineout and put in a great pass to set Arundell up for his try. 6
5 Charlie Ewels: Made a few tackles and took his chances in the lineout, but did lose the ball a couple of times in open play. 5
4 Quinn Roux: Barely touched the ball, and wasn’t utilised in the lineout. Did make his tackles, though, in a match when the slightest margin could have made all the difference. 5
3 Archie Griffin: He tackled well, but really struggled in the scrum and was replaced by Thomas du Toit at half-time. 3
2 Tom Dunn: Put his body on the line as always. The lineout all over the place, however, and did knock the ball on after not preparing for a Finn Russell pass. 5
1 Beno Obano: While it was his prop partner who struggled in the scrum, it was Obano who was punished, receiving a yellow card early into the second half. A quiet game overall, not one that he will look back on with pride over his individual performance. 5
Replacements: Thomas du Toit came on to sure up the Bath scrum, and instead delivered a player of the match performance. Sam Underhill arrived on the field and was immediately thrust into the action, intercepting a Saracens pass before utterly melting Maro Itoje. Francois van Wyk had a poorer arrival, missing a couple of tackles, but the likes of Ted Hill and Kepu Tuipulotu added real dynamism to the Bath attack. 8