Following a 43-41 victory over Northampton Saints in the Investec Champions Cup clash at the Rec on Friday, here are the player ratings for Bath.
15 Tom de Glanville: A few nice touches but couldn’t quite show his whole range of skills with Saints controlling the game during his time on the field. 6
14 Henry Arundell: Scored a lovely try after taking a nice line off Finn Russell’s shoulder and had a few other dangerous moments. 7
13 Ollie Lawrence: Grew into the game after a pretty shoddy start where the Saints shredded that midfield defence. Had some good carries after the break but it wasn’t his best performance. 6
12 Cameron Redpath: Similar to Lawrence, got better as the game wore on. Was embarrassed by Ollie Sleightholme for the Saints wing’s try, but responded well to that setback with a much better display after the break. 6
11 Will Muir: Mopped up well in the backfield even if his clearance kicks weren’t great but changed the momentum with his aerial work. 7
Half-back class
10 Finn Russell: It’s fair to say some of his early decisions were abysmal but they were mixed with some moments of brilliance, including his own try and the assist for Arundell’s score. However, he was superb in edging Bath back into the contest and dictated proceedings in the second period, ultimately going from the ridiculous to the sublime. 8
9 Ben Spencer (c): It wasn’t going at all well for Bath in the opening half-hour and, as a result, Spencer’s influence was limited but he showed all his class and experience after the interval, controlling his pack superbly. 8
8 Miles Reid: Sin-binned early on for a cynical infringement but did everything he could to make up for that error when he returned. Some big moments at close quarters as the Bath pack got on top the longer the match went on. 7
7 Sam Underhill: Not a half-hour he will remember fondly with the hosts struggling while he was on the field. Underhill was then replaced for a HIA and never returned. 5
6 Guy Pepper: A big reason for Bath’s turnaround following a shocking 30 minutes. Hugely physical around the contact area as the West Country outfit finally got their opponents going into reverse. 8
Shambolic lineout
5 Charlie Ewels: Is the leader in the lineout but it was quite frankly shocking for the majority of this match. Also wasn’t as influential as his team-mates around the field. 5
4 Quinn Roux: Similar to Ewels, the set-piece was abysmal and he didn’t bring that physical presence in the tighter exchanges. Was duly replaced early in the second period. 5
3 Vilikesa Sela: Scrum was mixed while there was the odd decent moment around the field but it was a pretty underwhelming performance from the starting props in truth. 5
2 Tom Dunn: Immense in the loose but the Saints had plenty of joy in the lineout. His sheer bloodymindedness was key to Bath getting back into the contest, but you can’t ignore those technical deficiencies. 6
1 Beno Obano: Only lasted half-an-hour due to injury and the starting pack failed to make much impression during that time. Obano’s had better days. 5
Replacements: Absolutely magnificent with Alfie Barbeary the star of the show. He is perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea, and England boss Steve Borthwick has so far snubbed him, but Barbeary is a game changer at his best. Elsewhere, Kepu Tuipulotu was superb, despite the odd lineout wobble, while Ted Hill was another dynamic replacement as the ‘Bath Bomb’ overwhelmed the Saints. 9
READ MORE: Bath v Northampton Saints: Result, match stats, line-ups, scorers