Match Centre: Gallagher Premiership: Bath Rugby 26-36 Bristol Bears

Bath Rugby 26-36 Bristol Bears, The Recreation Ground

Bath Rugby faced a tough defeat at the hands of local rivals Bristol Bears, falling 26-36 at The Rec in an action-packed Gallagher Premiership derby on Saturday.

Despite a resilient performance in front of a sell-out home crowd, Bath managed only a losing bonus point as Bristol clinched victory.

Bristol Bears Dominate Early On

Bristol started strong and were on the scoreboard within two minutes of kick-off, as Max Malins crossed over in the corner, with AJ MacGinty adding the extras. Bath responded in the 12th minute with a stunning solo effort from Sam Harris, who raced from halfway, evading defenders to score under the posts. Finn Russell’s conversion brought the scores level at 7-7.

Bristol, however, quickly regained the lead through Santiago Grondona and Benhard Janse van Rensburg, scoring tries in the 19th and 27th minutes, respectively, to establish a 7-19 advantage.

Bears Extend Lead Before Half-Time

After a series of stoppages, Bristol’s Grondona powered over for his second try under the posts, with MacGinty’s conversion extending the visitors’ lead to 7-26 at half-time.

The Bears added a penalty shortly after the break, but the game shifted when Grondona was sent to the sin-bin for repeated offside infringements as Bath applied pressure near the try line.

Bath Fight Back in the Second Half

Bath took advantage of the numerical advantage, with Will Butt finding space on the wing to cross over for Bath’s second try. Moments later, Ross Molony supported a break from Russell, scoring his first try in the Blue, Black and White jersey, reducing the deficit to 19-29.

However, Bath’s momentum was stalled as Sam Underhill received a yellow card. Bristol capitalized on the opportunity, with Gabriel Oghre adding their fifth try, pushing the scoreline to 19-36.

Late Push Earns Bath Bonus Point

With minutes left, Ollie Lawrence powered over for Bath’s fourth try, securing a crucial bonus point for the home side. The full-time whistle blew with the score at 26-36, handing Bristol the victory.

Team line up:

Bath: Harris, De Glanville, Lawrence, Butt, McConnochie, Russell, Spencer (c); Obano, Annett, Du Toit, Roux, Ewels, Hill, Pepper, Reid.

Reserves: Dunn, Van Wyk, Stuart, Molony, Underhill, Schreuder, Redpath, Coetzee.

Bristol: Malins, Lane, Janse van Rensburg, Williams, Ibitoye, MacGinty, Randall; Genge, Oghre, Lahiff, Dun, Batley, Luatua, Grondona, Harding (c).

Reserves: Capon, Woolmore, Kloska, Owen, Grondona, Marmion, Jenkins, Bates.