Bath v Harlequins: Five takeaways as Finn Russell wins the Premiership fly-half battle against Marcus Smith

Following Bath’s 25-17 Premiership victory over Harlequins, here are our five takeaways.

The top line

Joe Cokanasiga, Finn Russell and Elliott Stooke rolled up their sleeves to see high-flying Bath take the spoils in a Christmas thriller at the Rec, which saw the hosts win 25-17.

Four tries from Cokanasiga (1′)(47′), Stooke (42′), and Miles Reid (73′) played three from Quins with Marcus Smith (4′), Jack Walker (51′) and James Chisholm (80′) all crossing, but there’s no doubt that Bath were worth their win as their forwards, with Charlie Ewels, Alfie Barbeary and Reid standing strong alongside Stooke, simply got the better of their opponents from one to eight as Russell exerted a vice-like grip on the match with exquisite kicking and passing defining his performance.

The result takes Bath to the top of the table, a point ahead of Sale Sharks and with a considerably better points difference, and on the evidence of the completeness of their performance at the Rec, they showed once again that their performances are on an upward slope as they reach the halfway point of the 2023/24 Premiership.

Smith v Russell

When two box office entertainers go head to head, then there’s always going to be comparisons, and both of the star fly halves had their moments of brilliance in the Bath gloom.

Firstly, it was Russell, after four minutes, who made one of those little half dummies before unloading a divine pass behind the back of the defence and into the arms of the rumbling Joe Cokanasiga, who muscled his way over for an early score to set his team on the road to victory.

But two minutes later, Smith reminded us of all of his superstar ability, taking the ball at pace into the Bath 12 channel and beating the architects of the first try, Russell and Cokanasiga, with a divine show, dummy and go.

🧙‍♂️ A Marcus Smith special, what a try! #BATvHAR #GallagherPrempic.twitter.com/p07OOVtXhD

— Planet Rugby (@PlanetRugby) December 23, 2023

To choose between these two titans of thrill is impossible, but the simple truth is that Russell used the players around him better than Smith, really getting his backline going forward as one cohesive unit and trusting his backs with ball in hand. His early kicking game was absolutely perfect, creating targets for his big backs and loose forwards to run onto.

For his part, Smith kicked more and also kicked well, but he never quite got his back division on the front foot in the manner of his opponent. Russell is maturing into a wonderfully reliable ten, one that’s eschewed his ambition for pragmatism when it’s needed, and right now, it’s hard to think of a better ten in the game than the brilliant Scot.

Bar room brawlers

This was an afternoon for the piano pushers to stand up and flex muscle and sinew in the battle of the forwards. Barbeary starred in carry, and there’s a little big of Jasper Wiese in the Bath’s eight’s play. Squat of stature and rippling with muscle, his power in returning restarts and carrying off nine is a crucial part of Johann van Graan’s planning, and once again, he spent the afternoon barrelling and boshing his way around the Rec in an impressive performance, where Bath got the better of Quins back row, despite a great shift from Chisholm who crossed for a late consolation try.

But it was the old warhorse himself, second-row Stooke, returning once again to his beloved Rec after sojourns at Wasps and Montpellier, that really defined the Bath forward effort. Stooke grabbed a try himself after his pack set up a maul try, but it was his work around the park and in pressuring the Bath lineout that really gave the hosts the physical edge needed on a filthy West Country day.

However, knowing the left-field character that is Stooke, nothing will have pleased him more than taking Smith out on a one-on-one chasing tackle- Smith sold the dummies and jinked his hips all to no avail as the huge lock simply melted the Quins half back in a moment he’ll cherish.

With Miles Reid enjoying a productive day at the breakdown and GJ van Velze carrying well in contact, Bath’s forwards shaded the arm wrestle up front, with Stooke adding crucial impact in every aspect of the battle.

Battle at the back

On a day of howling rain, the battle of the back three was always going to be a microcosm of the game itself. For Quins, Tyrone Green enjoyed another impressive day with hands and boot and with residential qualification for England just a few months away, the flying Quin, unwanted by his native South Africa, is said to be contemplating switching his allegiance to the white shirt.

His work with Louis Lynagh along Quins’ left flank was a feature of their play, a contest that saw Lynagh nudge the aerial battle over Player of the Match Cokanasiga as the game progressed. The Bath wing, despite his try scoring antics grabbing a brace, demonstrated his defensive frailties once more, missing a crucial tackle on Smith and failing to get any sort of handhold in the battle of the bomb. Cokanasiga may be ripping it up in terms of his attack, but to progress at test level, he needs a slightly more rounded approach than he is currently offering, and it’s key that he bolts on surety in defence and the air alongside his brilliant work with ball in hand, as he has so much to offer as an attacking force.

But for all the good work of the Quins’ back three, Matt Gallagher was equally as effective as Bath’s last line, returning with interest on several occasions and leading a brilliant kick-chase effort in the early exchanges.

His work in combining with Will Muir to go the length of the pitch to see Max Ojomoh scoot over just before halftime may have seen the score chalked off, but it allowed Bath the relative safety of taking the lead into the sheds with them, something they continued to build upon after the break.

Summing up

Harlequins director of rugby Billy Millard was full of praise for the Bath effort post-match, observing that knowing the conditions ahead, he felt his team had been slow to react in defending the hosts kicking game, particularly in terms of his wings playing too high against the boot of Russell, who grabbed three 50/22s as he drove his team home.

“We knew it was likely to be a filthy day,” he commented. “But I’m a bit disappointed with how we reacted to the Bath attack, especially Finn Russell’s kicking strategy in the early exchanges of the game. We came here rested up and in good spirits, but we’ll regroup and go again against Gloucester, a team on the up, next week in The Big Game at Twickenham.

Van Graan admitted he was thrilled by the performance but was at pains to underline that in real terms, Bath have achieved nothing yet.

“Of course, it’s great to be at the top of the log at the halfway point, but that means little in real terms. It’s key that we only look to the next fixture and not get ahead of ourselves. This is always about it being a long-term project, and that remains my goal,” he said.

“In terms of Quins, that was a hell of a game. It was like two heavyweight boxers trading blows, and it wasn’t until Finn’s kicking game really started to pay off that we got the positions we needed.

“I must take my hat off to big Joe (Cokanasiga), who was bitterly disappointed to be left out of the Rugby World Cup squad and has bounced back. Steve Borthwick is a brilliant communicator to us, and Joe knows precisely what he needs to do in terms of work-ons. His aerial game is improving, and there are few wingers capable of bashing through four or five defenders as he managed to do today.

“And a word too for Stookey; when you bring a player of that experience level back into a group, you wonder how the others will react and all I’ve seen is him putting smiles on people’s faces as he brings his humour and power to everything he does.”

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