Bath player ratings: ‘Sublime’ Springbok produces ‘all-time’ shift as red card proves costly in Premiership final
Our Bath player ratings from the Premiership Rugby final.
Following their 25-21 defeat to Northampton Saints in the Premiership final, here is how we rated the Bath players in the thrilling final at Twickenham Stadium.
Bath player ratings v Northampton Saints
15 Matt Gallagher: He came agonisingly close to scoring in the opening minutes of the game before being crucially denied. He marshalled the backfield rather well. 6
14 Joe Cokanasiga: Precious few opportunities with ball in hand and like his fellow winger, he chased Bath’s high balls well. 5
13 Ollie Lawrence: Slipped off his last tackle on George Hendy but one of the few blights on his game as he defended well on the whole and carried strongly to test the Northampton defence. 7
12 Cameron Redpath: An intelligent defensive performance as he worked well in tandem with Lawrence to stifle Northampton’s potent attack. Overall a sharp performance. 7
11 Will Muir: Latched onto Spencer’s kick to score a great try and while he chased the high ball well, he was beaten in the air several times and really should have done better on his attempted tackle on Hendy. 6
Alex Mitchell scores winning try as Northampton Saints deny 14-man Bath in epic Premiership final
Half-backs
10 Finn Russell: Managed the match well on the whole, putting the Saints back three under the pump with his tactical kicking. He will rue his missed shot at goal but would have mattered little in the grand scheme of things. Tackled well and also made a turnover. 7
9 Ben Spencer: Alex Mitchell got the winning score for Northampton but on the whole, Spencer had his number, outplaying the incumbent England number nine. His kicking was pinpoint and his canon clearances were crucial for Bath. His cross-kick for Muir was a real highlight. 8
Back-row
8 Alfie Barbeary: Only got 20-odd minutes as he was sacrificed after Beno Obano’s sending-off. He was solid in that time making five tackles and two carries in close. 5
7 Sam Underhill: Charged around the pitch, hammering Northampton attackers in a relentless and physical performance. Excellent at the breakdown, too, and aggressive with the ball in hand. A classy shift all-round. 8
6 Ted Hill: Did his England hopes a world of good in front of an onlooking Steve Borthwick. Huge on defence, excellent in the lineout and impressive with the ball in hand, a much-needed workmanlike shift after the early sending-off. 8
Tight five
5 Charlie Ewels: Ran the Bath lineout well, landed several huge hits on defence and stayed on the right side of the whistle, not conceding a single penalty. He will be disappointed, along with the rest of his teammates, by the result, but he did his utmost to get them over the line and took a key leadership role throughout the match. 8
4 Quinn Roux: Important contributions at the lineout, big defensively and in the mauls. Another who rose to the challenge once his side went down a man. 7
3 Thomas du Toit: Red carded in his last appearance at Twickenham, that time in a Springbok jersey, but his performance today was the complete opposite, producing an all-time great prop performance. He could have easily been the player of the match even in defeat. Sublime in every facet of the game and dominated on both sides of the scrum. Top tackler, scored a try and went the full 80, winning two turnovers and multiple scrum penalties. He will turn his attention to the Green and Gold jersey after a sensational first season with Bath. 9
2 Tom Dunn: Strong in the set-piece, which was crucial in this fixture, carried well and made his tackles. He has become a Bath legend for this kind of consistent performance shifts and did not disappoint on the big stage. 6
1 Beno Obano: Strong start in the scrums, but he has no excuse for his tackle. It was early on, he was always high and there was no slip. In the end, it proved to be very costly. 2
Replacements: Schoeman and Will Stuart kept the pressure in the scrums while Niall Annett performed well in the front row too. Overall, they did well in their attempts to clinch the game for Bath but it was not to be. 6
