Gloucester v Bath: Five takeaways as Bomb Squad detonation pays off but Cherry and Whites’ ‘nightmare’ appears to be over
Guy Pepper impressed off the bench for Bath against Gloucester.
Following a 30-26 victory for Bath over Gloucester at Kingsholm, here’s our five takeaways from the PREM derby clash on Friday night.
The top line
Bath went into this game 1/6 favourites with a 13-15 point handicap. They held bragging rights, too, following October’s 38-17 victory at the Rec. Gloucester arrived with a massive injury list, having lost as favourites to bottom side Newcastle three weeks ago, and shipped 190 points in their opening five league games.
Yet the Cherry and Whites pushed the defending champions to the wire in front of a raucous Shed. They led 21-7 after 25 minutes, but Bath’s quality quickly told. Gloucester held out against wave after wave of Bath pressure around the 58-minute mark through sheer bloody-minded defensive commitment and were still in touching distance at 27-26 with two minutes left after Ciaran Knight’s yellow card penalty.
Bath’s class eventually prevailed through Finn Russell’s 78th-minute penalty, but this was Gloucester’s best performance of a nightmare season. The spirit that had been absent – particularly in four second-half collapses against these opponents – finally showed up. Josiah Edwards-Giraud and Seb Atkinson were outstanding. Val Rapava-Ruskin bulldozed and jackaled. Lewis Ludlow won five turnovers. The tackle count was immense – 119 hits at 81% success despite the defensive fragility that had plagued them.
Bath rotated heavily, but still ground out the win, showing champions’ DNA. Gloucester, though, proved they could compete when commitment matched ambition.
Breakdown battle
Ludlow produced one of the performances of the Prem season. The Gloucester captain was everywhere – slowing Bath ball, forcing knock-ons, jackaling in wide channels. His work around the 58-minute mark epitomised Gloucester’s defensive stand when Bath’s Bomb Squad came hunting, with the back-rower at the heart of every desperate defensive set, eventually forcing the turnover through sheer refusal to yield.
Gloucester won the turnover battle 6-5 despite Bath’s quality. Rapava-Ruskin added a crucial jackal steal in the first half alongside Seb Atkinson’s pair. Bath threw fewer numbers into the breakdown early – fielding a second-string back-row with Guy Pepper and Sam Underhill on the bench – and Gloucester capitalised.
The difference John Mitchell’s November coaching secondment had made was stark. The World Cup-winning England Women’s coach spent time with Dom Waldouck’s defence specifically to address the breakdown shambles. It worked. Gloucester’s defensive structure held when it mattered most, the line speed improved, and the commitment at the collision area was unrecognisable from the team that leaked 190 points in five games.
Bath eventually adjusted – Pepper’s 31st-minute introduction shifted the ruck battle – but Gloucester’s tackle success (81% vs Bath’s 78%) and turnover dominance proved their defensive foundations were finally being rebuilt. Mitchell’s expertise had left its mark.
Bath Bomb
51 minutes and Bath trailed 26-19 with George Skivington’s side dreaming. Then Johann van Graan detonated his Bomb Squad: Beno Obano, Kepu Tuipulotu, Thomas du Toit, Underhill and Charlie Ewels. Test quality everywhere. What depth.
This was the fundamental difference between the clubs. Gloucester had a massive injury list and admitted some available players weren’t Prem standard. Bath rotated heavily, rested front-line players for European knockouts, and still fielded five internationals off the bench who shifted the entire dynamic of the match.
Pepper had already made his mark from the 31st minute – breakdown boss, 49 metres, 10 carries, big collisions. His introduction coincided with Bath’s tactical shift: bigger mauls, driving through the middle, Frost’s 32nd-minute try from a rumbling lineout drive. Five minutes later, Pepper scored himself from another maul.
The Bath forwards simply wore Gloucester down. Their second-half possession dominance (70%) came through phase play brutality – 64 carries to Gloucester’s 57, but crucially 452 metres to 252. Nearly double the metreage efficiency.
Pepper’s 68th-minute yellow card for a trip on Charlie Atkinson was a massive moment – Bath lost their most influential player when Gloucester needed one final push. But the damage was done. Underhill, Ewels, and the Bomb Squad had broken Gloucester’s resistance through sheer class and conditioning.
Depth wins tight derbies. Always has, always will.
Centres of attention
Edwards-Giraud announced himself on the Prem stage. The 23-year-old academy graduate, returning from injury, was at the heart of everything Gloucester did well. Direct, powerful running that punched holes in Bath’s defensive line. His offloading and collision work set up Charlie Atkinson’s 21st-minute try that gave Gloucester a 21-7 lead.
Then the defensive heroics: a last-ditch tap tackle on Dan Frost in the second half that saved a certain try when Bath were building pressure. Edwards-Giraud beat four defenders, made a clean break, and consistently found himself in the right position at the right time. This was a statement performance from a player with minimal senior experience facing the defending champions.
His centre partner, Seb Atkinson, went toe-to-toe with Bath’s Max Ojomoh in a direct England audition. Both were fighting for the 12 jersey under Steve Borthwick. Atkinson shaded the first-half with direct running, and his 26th-minute try, but Ojomoh’s experience told later.
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The subplot? Chris Harris faced Gloucester for the first time since his emotional summer departure. Six years, 109 appearances, 27 tries, “mates for life” – now wearing Bath blue, black and white. Every touch greeted with “eee-oore” from the Shed. Santi Carreras got the same treatment.
This was what West Country derbies were built on: Steve Ojomoh once said playing for Gloucester at Kingsholm against Bath felt like “defending the city walls.” Edwards-Giraud embodied that.
Test watch
England have a bit of a propping crisis. Fix Baxter and Will Stuart are broken, Ellis Genge needs wrapping in cotton wool, and Borthwick is scrambling for loosehead options ahead of the Six Nations. Yet Rapava-Ruskin continues to be overlooked despite producing another statement performance at Kingsholm. The Georgian-qualified prop was immense – powerful at the breakdown with two jackal steals, four defenders beaten, a clean break, and capped it with a bulldozing try on seven minutes after James Venter’s collision work created the platform. Rapava-Ruskin’s ability to win turnovers while anchoring the scrum made the continued England indifference baffling.
Afo Fasogbon was another forgotten man. The Gloucester tighthead drove through Bath’s wide defence at close range for a vital 51st-minute try (26-19) that kept the Cherry and Whites in touching distance. England-qualified, powerful, effective – ignored.
The real England battle was at inside centre. Seb Atkinson, fresh from his call-up to Borthwick’s training squad, went head-to-head with Bath’s Ojomoh in a direct audition for the 12 jersey. Atkinson won the first half emphatically – a powerful 26th-minute try built off Tomos Williams’ brilliant territory work, direct running that punched holes in Bath’s midfield, and two crucial jackal steals that disrupted Bath’s ruck tempo. Statement made.
Pepper’s 31st-minute introduction showcased exactly why England rated him so highly. The Bath flanker was everywhere, making multiple involvements that shifted momentum when Gloucester threatened to run away with it. His impact off the bench would have caught Borthwick’s eye.
Wales, meanwhile, could relax about Williams. The Lions scrum-half produced two exquisite 50/22 kicks – on 23 and 26 minutes – that set up field position for both Gloucester tries. His clearing speed from the ruck remained world-class.
READ MORE: PREM predictions, teams, kick-off times, how to watch and referee appointments