Bath begin title defence with comeback win at Quins

The Prem.

Harlequins (17) 31

Cons: J Evans 3; Tries: W Evans 3; Kenningham; T Green;

Bath (14) 47

Bath, reigning champions, responded well to Harlequins’ attack with a strong second-half performance and won the title game with a bonus-point victory.

Will Evans, a flanker, scored a hat-trick in the opening 30 minutes to give the hosts a blistering start to the match.

Chandler Cunningham-South was sent to the sin-bin on 33 minutes thanks to Tom Dunn’s reply, which meant the score was 17-7.

And Bath took the lead for the first time with tries from Vilikesa Sela and Beno Obano within two minutes of the restart.

Due to injury, Harlequins lost both hookers George Turner and Jack Walker, meaning Bath made the most of the gap in the Quins pack’s attack in the final 26 minutes.

At the start of the new Prem season, the hosts showed no signs of rustiness, with Evans scoring twice in the opening eight minutes as Harlequins put pressure on the reigning champions before cutting off after Green and Cadan Murley had long runs.

Before Evans dotting over after Alex Dombrandt had broken through the line, Dunn soared over from a Bath line-out to give the visitors a hat-trick.

Sela scored from the tap-and-go five meters out before Cunnigham-South hit the sin-bin.

In the second half, Bath won the game and scored on an insider run from Arundell, with Obano completing the score.

After taking a big hit in a play where Ollie Lawrence’s try was disallowed after Joe Cokanasiga had stepped into touch during the build-up, Turner had to go off after taking the ball at half-time.

Without any hookers to call upon, the hosts relied on South African prop Jordan Els to continue the game with uncontested scrums.

Arundell, an England back in his first start, ran into the corner of a successful team move as Bath seized control of the game.

Before Arundell got his second of the match, Griffin and Underhill added their names to the scoresheet, while Kenningham responded for the hosts, and Green scored with the final arc of the match.

Replacements: Anderson, Els, Streeter, J Green, Carr, M Green, Kolade, and Turner

Sin-bin: Cunningham-South]33]

Bath: De Glanville, Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Redpath, Arundell, Ojomoh, Spencer, Obano, Dunn, Sela, Roux, Ewels, Bayliss, Pepper, Reid

Replacements: Underhill, Carr-Smith, Van Wyk, Tuipulotu, Van Wyk, Griffin, Molony, Hill, Carr-Smith, Harris, and Underhill