Bath player ratings: ‘Scavenger’ shines as Finn Russell recovers to steer hosts to another Premiership final
Finn Russell and Guy Pepper impressed for Bath.
Following a 34-20 victory over Bristol Bears in their Premiership semi-final at the Recreation Ground on Friday, here’s our player ratings for Bath.
Bath player ratings v Bristol Bears
15 Tom de Glanville: A threat whenever he joined the line and his grubber kick through for Joe Cokanasiga’s second-half try was perfectly weighted. 7
14 Joe Cokanasiga: Struggled to impose himself on the match early on but when his moment came he grabbed it with both hands, slamming the ball down for a match-turning score. 7
13 Max Ojomoh: Lovely feet and handling every time he touched the ball and his partnership with Cameron Redpath shaded the midfield battle. Fully deserved his try in the second period as he continues to fill Ollie Lawrence’s shirt admirably. 8
12 Cameron Redpath: A handful on the gainline and showed his footwork and pace to make good ground in the first half. A classy operator who links incredibly well with those around him. 8
11 Will Muir: Such a weapon aerially and Bath certainly utilised him in that facet in the opening half. In the second his big fend and finish on the left wing was classic Muir. 7
Superb second half
10 Finn Russell: Grew into the game. Threw a couple of lovely cut out passes in the first half but did appear a tad rattled with errors evident. But in the second half his change of direction and pass set up Ted Hill to get the ball rolling and he stamped his name on the game thereafter with excellent option taking that steered Bath to another Premiership final. 9
9 Ben Spencer: Won’t like to rewatch that bump off from Ravouvou before the James Dun try. However, much like Russell and Bath in general, he improved as the match wore on with his work-rate and tempo a real feature of his game as always. 8
8 Alfie Barbeary: Contained somewhat by that first-half masterclass of high-octane rugby from Bristol. He was not his usual marauding self after being handed this start and was replaced at half-time. 4
7 Guy Pepper: A scavenger over the ball when given a sniff and racked up the tackles too in a tireless showing that saw him pick up the Player of the Match award. He covered every blade of grass tonight. 8
Must be in Test reckoning
6 Ted Hill: Surely more England minutes are coming in the summer. So tough to bring to ground and was a safe lineout option to boot. He backed that up with a walk-in score in the early stages of the second half and then put in a brilliant try saving tackle on Kalaveti Ravouvou on 45 minutes. 8
5 Charlie Ewels: Not as prominent as his lock partner but it was a solid 68-minute outing from Ewels. 5
4 Quinn Roux: A physical presence in the engine room and put in a solid shift in all departments before being replaced on the hour mark. 6
3 Will Stuart: Lost possession twice as Bristol‘s front-row got on top early in the game. Was replaced by Thomas du Toit on 47 minutes who added more up front. 4
2 Tom Dunn: The Bath stalwart put it about with a game high 23 tackles to his name as he left the field covered in blood to applause from his appreciative fans. 7
1 Beno Obano: Much like Stuart, the two Bath props struggled a tad with the early pace of the game as Bristol put their foot to the floor. Did grow into the game, however, before coming off around the hour mark. 5
Replacements: Take a bow, Miles Reid. Came on for Barbeary at the break and immediately made a staggering impact as Bath accelerated through the gears. The back-rower was everywhere before the likes of Du Toit also made their presence felt. 8
