Bath player ratings v Exeter: The wrong man leaving as ‘huge flop’ fails to take control while outgoing star proves ‘utterly devastating’
Bath player ratings: The wrong man leaving as 'huge flop' fails to secure winner while outgoing star proves 'utterly devastating'
Bath have been dumped from the PREM title race by Exeter Chiefs in a scintillating semi-final at the Recreation Ground.
Here are our Bath player ratings from their 26-27 loss:
Backs
15 Tom de Glanville: A pretty quiet day all in all. Did a sufficient job in the air and made his tackles when required, but his performance will be remembered for a terrible kick that went out on the full, just as Bath were desperate for field position. 5
14 Joe Cokanasiga: Showed huge confidence in attack, trusting his running game throughout, most notably when he stepped back inside early in the first half to create space for his midfield, resulting in a 50-metre gain. Scored later with a powerful finish in the right-hand corner when Bath were in the full ascendancy. Yellow-carded in the final quarter for what seemed like an extremely harsh ‘deliberate knock-on’. 7
13 Ollie Lawrence: Made a brilliant pass for Cokanasiga’s try, and looked to threaten each time he eyed up the opposition defence. Led the metres made statistics, beating four players in the process. 7
12 Max Ojomoh: Heavily involved but often tried too many cute passes, including one which was intercepted and two others that were dangerously close. This being said, he was trying to create space, which allowed Bath’s attack to purr in the first half, and this particularly impressive when considering Santiago Carreras’ lack of control on proceedings. Defensively, Ojomoh was a total liability, however, missing six tackles. Nominated by TNT Sports as one of the player of the match contenders, our view was totally at odds with theirs. Ordinarily superb, he missed that killer touch in this sem-final. 5
11 Henry Arundell: Failed to react to Paul Brown-Bampoe’s clear-out early doors, but he switched on soon after. Had limited chances in attack, but did brilliantly with his one real opportunity, plucking the ball out of the air from a well-worked crossfield kick by Ben Spencer. 7
10 Santiago Carreras: Made a terrible start to the game, dropping two early balls and giving away an interception. It didn’t improve from then on and was embarrassed by Exeter’s flanker Christ Tshiunza, who twisted ankles with the most audacious right-footed step. His only saving graces were his excellent change of pace to hunt down Henry Slade on breakaway, and that his first three kicks sailed through the uprights – although a fourth would have secured victory. It was his lack of game management and control that truly impacted the game. With the semi-final approaching the death, and Bath within a score, the Argentine playmaker was in the perfect spot to slot the drop goal, something that the injured Finn Russell would have surely clocked on to. Instead, Carreras failed to take control, leaving it to his forwards to go 40 phases before being inevitably held up. Was this a case of poor game management, or did the Argentine not trust his boot? Either way, his transfer from Gloucester continues to prove a huge flop. 1
9 Ben Spencer: The experienced scrum-half put in a clever kick over the top to kick off Bath’s first major attack. He led the playmaking in the absence of Russell, showing brilliant vision to kick to Arundell for his try in the corner. Looked drained in the second half without a solid base from which to work, however, and gave away an interception just as Bath were trying to get back into the game. He gave it all until he was finally removed with minutes to go. 6
Forwards
8 Alfie Barbeary: His final game in a Bath shirt ended in real disappointment, but he should be proud of his effort. He demonstrated great power in the carry, beating an incredible 13 men, and was utterly devastating in the clear-out. He has been one of Bath’s best players this season, and will leave a huge hole at the back of the scrum. 9
7 Sam Underhill: The England flanker, normally so solid, looked completely out of sorts. In the space of a few minutes, he dropped the ball when Bath were looking to attack and then gave away a penalty which allowed Exeter to score their opening points. Although he didn’t miss any tackles, he was turned over three times, which is unacceptable in a PREM semi-final. 4
6 Josh Bayliss: The Scotland international worked hard and showed his athleticism in many bouts, particularly when he needed to race back to stop Greg Fisilau from scoring under the posts. He worked well with Tom Dunn to secure seven lineouts in an impressive set-piece showing. 8
5 Charlie Ewels: Did a job in the lineout and tackled hard in defence. Attacking-wise, he wasn’t particularly busy, but it wasn’t a disastrous showing. 6
Bath Rugby v Exeter Chiefs: PREM result, match stats, scorers, line-ups
4 Quinn Roux: Often noted to have less of an impact on a game than his lock partner, this display didn’t help his reputation. He carried the ball just two times and made seven tackles in total. He did make one turnover, however. 5
3 Thomas du Toit: Showed tremendous power to score early on with half the Chiefs’ defence hanging off his back, and he continued to dominate physically in the scrum. The Sharks-bound prop struggled with his fitness as the game went on, but that was a testament to the effort that he left on the field. He exited to a standing ovation from the home crowd. 8
2 Tom Dunn: Not quite as active as he normally is, but still no less effective. His set-piece work was absolutely spot on, which gave Bath a great foundation for their first-half heroics. 7
1 Beno Obano: An all-timer performance from the England prop. He showed rapid reactions to first gain 10 metres from the base of the ruck as Bath entered the Chiefs’ 22, and then to repeat his action moments later to score the opening try of the match. His scrummaging was tremendous and he showed incredible strength to win against the head in the lead-up to Arundell’s try. Defensively, he was as solid as they come, completing 12 tackles and missing none. 9
Replacements: The front-row subs were dominated when they arrived on the field against a pumped-up Chiefs pack. Francois van Wyk and Kepu Tuipulotu gave away meaningful penalties following their arrival onto the field, and the rest struggled to build upon the marker that had been set. Bernard van der Linde looked exciting with his limited touches, but his arrival was a little too late.
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