Bath's second-half surge secures Premiership Final spot

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-final on June 1, 2025, at a packed Recreation Ground.

The win booked Bath's ticket to their first Premiership final in nearly a decade and brought them a step closer to a historic treble in what has already been a sensational season.

The match began at 3:30 PM local time with Bristol seizing early momentum. By the 6th minute, AJ MacGinty opened the scoring with a penalty, giving Bristol a 3–0 lead.

Bath responded swiftly, with Finn Russell slotting in 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 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 halftime.

Bath entered the break with plenty to consider, as Bristol appeared more composed and precise in both attack and defense.

The turning point came immediately after halftime. Just two minutes into the second half—at 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 51st minute, Joe Cokanasiga powered over to score, again converted by Russell, giving Bath their first lead of the game at 20–13. The Recreation Ground erupted as Bath took control of the contest.

Bristol’s woes deepened in the 58th minute when Kalaveti Ravouvou was sin-binned, reducing his side to 14 men.

Bath capitalized on the numerical advantage, with Will Muir crossing over for another try just two minutes later in the 60th minute. Russell maintained his flawless kicking streak, stretching Bath’s lead to 27–13.

A yellow card to Kieran Marmion in the 65th minute further undermined Bristol’s comeback hopes. Bath sealed the match in the 72nd minute when Max Ojomoh dove 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.