Bath duo make bold admissions after ‘unbelievable’ performance ends 17-year wait for European glory
Bath captain Ben Spencer celebrates his team's Challenge Cup final victory over Lyon.
Bath captain and scrum-half Ben Spencer said his team’s performance in their victory over Lyon in the European Challenge Cup final in Cardiff on Friday was bound to happen.
The result was a momentous one for the Premiership table-toppers as their 34-12 triumph over their Top 14 opponents secured them their first European trophy in 17 years.
Although they played with 14 men for 20 minutes during the opening half – after Sam Underhill and Will Muir were yellow carded – Bath kept their composure and eventually outscored Lyon by four tries to two while Finn Russell contributed 14 points courtesy of four conversions and two penalties.
‘Something that’s been building for a very long time’
“Tonight’s performance was something that’s been building for a very long time,” said Spencer after the match at the Principality Stadium. “To see the hunger, to see the fight of this group was unbelievable.
“The way we managed the double yellow-card period to keep them out at the end of the first half, that’s the fight and the spirit that we want to show each other.”
Bath hooker Tom Dunn, who has been plying his trade at West Country outfit since 20212, echoed his skipper’s sentiments.
“There’s no end to this – we talk about continuous improvement,” he said.
“The hunger and fire has been there as long as I can remember. We’ve always wanted, we’ve always trained hard to create that.”
Bath’s Challenge Cup triumph is a significant achievement for Russell as it is the first time he wins a major European trophy after finishing on the losing side in two Champions Cup finals with his former club Racing 92 in 2018 and 2020.
‘We’ve worked so hard to get where we are just now’
“It’s been a long time coming for Bath getting a title like this and as a group of players we’ve worked so hard to get where we are just now,” Russell told the BBC.
“The work’s not done yet, but we’ve worked so hard to get this trophy and it’s amazing to have it.”
Meanwhile, Bath’s head of rugby, Johann van Graan, hailed the club’s players and backroom staff after Friday’s triumph.
“We’ll enjoy [Friday], we’ll enjoy what this trophy represents – incredible hard work by a lot of people – and then we’ll come back on Tuesday morning and we’ll move on again,” he said.
“We’re not chasing anything, we are enjoying our journey together.”
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