Burns' heroics help Bath reclaim third position

Bath Rugby 38-14 Harlequins, Recreation Ground
Scorecard

A strong first-half performance saw Bath complete a resounding 38-14 win over Harlequins in their Aviva Premiership encounter at Recreation Ground on Saturday.

The win has taken Bath to the third position in the table with six wins from nine games while the Quins slip to the eighth position.

Number eight Paul Grant set the proceedings for Bath with a try in the first minute that was converted by Freddie Burns. The lead soon doubled when Harlequins lost James Chisholm sin-binned in the eighth minute for a tip tackle and soon Burns contributed with a converted try.

The onslaught from the home side continued as they went on to claim the bonus point in the first quarter with tries from Elliott Stooke (12') and Matt Banahan (18') to make it 26-0. The visitors also suffered a setback when their talented fly-half Marcus Smith went off the field with a head injury in the 10th minute.

Harlequins finally managed to open their account when Henry Cheeseman crossed over in the 32nd minute but a penalty from Burns meant Bath ended the first half with a 22 point lead.

With the third quarter going without a point, a second penalty from Burns stretched Bath's lead to 25 points but Quins had a moment of rejoice when the 19-year-old replacement Gabriel Ibitoye went on to register his first Premiership try. Replacement Josh Lewis capped off a fantastic game for Bath with back to back penalties that came in the final 10 minutes to complete the 24 point victory.

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