Bath win Premiership Cup to end trophy drought

Exeter (14) 14

Tries: Hodge 2 and Sio Cons: Tshiunza

Bath (17) 48

With the Premiership Rugby Cup victory over Exeter at Sandy Park, Bath ended their 17-year trophy drought.

A strong second-half performance earned them their first domestic trophy in 29 years and their first silverware since the European Challenge Cup in 2008.

In a tight opening period, Christ Tshiunza and Scott Sio scored for the Chiefs, but Tom Carr-Smith and Joe Cokanasiga responded and Bath were 17-14 up at half-time thanks to Ciaran Donoghue’s penalty.

After tries from Ewan Richards and Louis Schreuder, Dunn’s second, and du Toit and Dunn’s second, the impressive final quarter was finished.

The Blue, Black, and Whites, who are in the last 16 of the European Challenge Cup and are at the top of the premiership, might win the first half of a treble.

In the 1980s and 1990s, Bath won six league titles in eight seasons and the domestic cup ten times in 13 seasons, dominating English club rugby.

Fans of Bath’s double-winning team from 1995-1996 would have been left wondering why they had to wait 29 years before claiming their first domestic trophy.

In an even first half, their chances of stopping that run were in the balance.

When the TMO chalked off Stu Townsend’s close-range snipe for a Franco Molina knock-on, Exeter were denied a 10-minute lead, but the final sprung to life with three tries in six minutes.

After Exeter drew first blood, Tshiunza was driven over after a well-executed lineout, but Bath responded 30 seconds later when Alfie Barbeary darted through a gap at the ruck to send Carr-Smith under the posts.

When Cokanasiga was sucked in by Ruaridh McConnochie’s break, the visitors won, and he applied a stunning one-handed finish.

Bath raised the stakes at half-time by sending three of their “bomb squad” off the bench to bolster the front row, and it was immediately apparent why.

After 12 sapping phases, du Toit’s replacement went over the Exeter line after being forced to score again due to their quick power.

When Josh Hodge started a sweeping move that ended with Paul Brown-Bampoe’s excellent finish in the right corner, TMO chalked off a second try.

It would prove to be a crucial moment. Exeter then watched the visitors leave the field while reducing the gap to just one score.

Home skipper Yeandle received a yellow card for preventing a nearly certain Bath score, and he was then watched from the sinbin as he collected two scores.

The game was effectively ended when Max Ojomoh was held up close to the line before captain Richards dived over from the resulting ruck after Dunn burrowed through a small gap with a long arm over the line.

Ricky Pellow, the coach of Exeter Chief Skills, told BBC Radio Devon:

“When they did have the ball and got into our 22, they were clinical and we weren’t,” said the statement from them. “We never put us under pressure for long periods of time.

“We quite frequently get dented.” We scored, and then we had two tries blocked, and from that perspective, teams that are playing confidently will develop, and we tended to turn the tables.

“It probably sums up where we are this season. Although we’ve made some progress, we still need to figure out how to keep our game fresh when we’re under a little pressure.

Andy Robinson, a Bath assistant coach, told BBC Radio Bristol:

“Guys have worked very hard over the years to achieve things, but it hasn’t, but looking back at last year, we were so close to winning,” says one man.

There is a real belief in the group, which comes from what (head of rugby) Johann van Graan has done and from a group of players who are fervently playing for one another, and when you see how important it is, it is.

Replacements: Rigg, Blose, Street, Pearson, Capstick, Cairns, Haydon-Wood, and Frost.

Sin-bin: Yeandle (56).

Bath: Cordwell, Spandler, Verden, Jeanes, Richards (c), Green, Staddon, Barbeary, Carr-Smith, Donoghue, McConnochie, Butt, Redpath, Cokanasiga, Emens.