Bath's second-half surge secures Premiership Final spot
Joe Cokanasiga was one of the try scorer for Bath Rugby
©Steve Haag
Bath 34-20 Bristol Bears, The Recreation Ground
Bath Rugby delivered a dramatic comeback victory to defeat Bristol Bears 34–20 in the Gallagher Premiership semi-finals at a packed Recreation Ground.
The win booked Bath's ticket to their second Premiership final in two years, bringing them closer to a historic treble in what has already been a sensational season.
The match began with Bristol seizing early momentum. By the 6th minute, AJ MacGinty opened the scoring with a penalty, giving the Bears a 3–0 lead.
Bath responded swiftly, with Finn Russell slotting over a penalty of his own in the 12th minute to level the scores at 3–3.
However, Bristol turned up the pressure around the 20th minute when Kalaveti Ravouvou made a scintillating break, slicing through Bath's defensive line.
James Dun was on hand to finish off the move in the 21st minute, grounding a 'Try of the Season' contender that MacGinty converted, pushing the score to 10–3 in Bristol’s favour.
Russell narrowed the gap again in the 26th minute with another penalty, but MacGinty kept the scoreboard ticking for the visitors with a 30th-minute penalty, making it 13–6 to Bristol at half-time.
Bath entered the break with plenty to consider, as Bristol appeared more composed and precise in both attack and defence.
The turning point came immediately after halftime. Just two minutes into the second half—on the 42nd minute—Ted Hill muscled over the line for Bath’s first try, and Russell’s conversion brought the scores level at 13–13.
This ignited Bath’s resurgence, and the home side never looked back from that point onward.
In the 48th minute, Joe Cokanasiga powered over to score, again converted by Russell, giving Bath the lead for the first time in the game at 20–13. The Recreation Ground erupted as Bath took control of the contest.
Bristol’s woes deepened in the 54th minute when Will Muir crossed over for another try. Russell maintained his flawless kicking streak, stretching Bath’s lead to 27–13.
A yellow card shown to replacement scrum-half Kieran Marmion in the 57th minute hampered Bristol’s comeback hopes. Bath ultimatley sealed the match on the hour when Max Ojomoh went over for the fourth try, and Russell’s conversion made it 34–13.
Though Bristol managed a late try through Benhard Janse van Rensburg in the 76th minute, the damage had been done. The game concluded at 34–20 in favour of Bath Rugby.
