Bath player ratings: Lethal finisher ‘truly terrific’ while world class playmaker delivers ‘shocking’ defensive display in semi-final loss
Bath player ratings: Lethal finisher 'truly terrific' while world class playmaker delivers 'shocking' defensive display in semi-final loss
Bath were shown the Investec Champions Cup exit door by Bordeaux Begles on Sunday, losing 38-26 in the semi-final.
Here are the Bath player ratings:
Backs
15 Santiago Carreras: Made a couple of handling errors along the way, but was elite in the air, and made some important tackles, including one on Louis Bielle-Biarrey which halted what would have been a certain try. 7
14 Henry Arundell: Awkwardly backed off Damian Penaud in a tackle which led to the opening Bordeaux try, but from then on was phenomenal. He was at his hot-stepping best in attack, most notably pushing off his right foot and rounding the defence to set up Will Muir’s second try. Defensively, the former Racing 92 star made a brilliant last-gasp tackle on Matthieu Jalibert to stop a certain try, ripping the ball in the process. 7
13 Louie Hennessey: Showed great pace early on when chasing the ball, and then threatened to show the burners to Bielle-Biarrey in a particularly busy first half. His afternoon quietened as the game went on, but still displayed glimpses of brilliance, including a splendid one-handed catch on the floor and expert footwork to touch down for a Bath try. 7
12 Ollie Lawrence: He showed great power to break holes in the opposition defence, and his ability to pop the ball up on the gainline kept Bordeaux guessing as he brought others into the game. Did make some questionable decisions at times, however, but that’s to be expected in such a fast-paced role. 7
11 Will Muir: Taken off late into the second half with a suspected broken arm, but by that point, he had already made a huge impact. The ‘horse’ scored Bath’s first try, collecting from a Ben Spencer crossfield kick, and shortly afterwards scored his second with an unbelievable finish down the left-hand corner. The giant winger was truly terrific in the air, dogged in defence and relentless in attack. 8
10 Finn Russell: From the start, he seemed to be playing with a smile on his face. Made some clever plays and didn’t mind delegating some of the playmaking to those around him. Not always the most stellar of showings, however, as he did succumb to an error or two, including a forced pass to Carreras, which was inevitably fumbled, and a couple of dropped balls under pressure. Defensively, however, he was shocking. Missed eight tackles. 4
9 Ben Spencer: Made an unbelievable kick pass to set up Muir’s first try, but then went off the boil for a while, throwing a couple of poor passes to feet, first to Russell, and then to Alfie Barbeary. However, as the game evolved, so did Spencer. His highlight? A brilliant decision to tap and go on his own five metre line, booting the ball 70 metres to gain an attacking lineout. 6
Forwards
8 Alfie Barbeary: Made a few handling errors, but his work in the carry more than made up for them. The speed at which he charged into contact was something to behold. The Bordeaux defence needed to triple up defenders just to bring him down, battering with every carry. He will be a huge loss next season. 8
7 Guy Pepper: Bounced by Yoram Moafana in the most indignified way, which sent him stumbling backwards. That wasn’t the only tackle he missed, either. But despite his shortcomings, he was determined to put things right, making multiple successful hits and even finding himself as a stand-in winger during one phase. His discipline let him down at times, however, conceding a couple of penalties. 6
6 Josh Bayliss: The lineout king was at it again, controlling Bath ball from the set piece and causing carnage in the Bordeaux ranks. Made a brilliant maul turnover in the final 20 to put Bordeaux back under pressure. 7
5 Charlie Ewels: Showed great strength, particularly in the breakdown, but failed to impose himself on the game quite as much as he would have liked. Provided a solid option in the lineout. Yellow carded late on. 6
4 Quinn Roux: Showed great running intent with a charge early doors, but defensively he was caught on the back foot multiple times. His impact deteriorated as the game went on. 5
3 Thomas du Toit: Arguably the best scrummager in the world, and his impact showed as he held the scrum down. The South African prop put in a huge shift, carrying the ball into contact 17 times and making the second-most tackles. 8
2 Tom Dunn: Superbly dived on the ball to stop Jalibert breaking through in the first half. Overall, he didn’t have quite the impact he normally does, barely getting on the ball in his record 266th Bath appearance. 5
1 Beno Obano: Carried hard into contact and scrummaged hard, but defensively looked lost at times. 6
Replacements: The ‘Bath Bomb’ threatened to take control of the scoreline, but slipped up during the vital moments. Little mistakes within the squad allowed Bordeaux to keep a hold of the lead, as the bench wasn’t able to swing fortune back in their favour. This being said, those who made their late entrance all put in a shift. Miles Reid was everywhere, notably holding up a rampaging Bordeaux counterattack to gain a penalty. Underhill also forced a turnover in a ruck and Tom Carr-Smith scored the final try of the afternoon. 7