Bristol keep season alive with tense win over Bath

May 30, 2026 No Comments

Bristol keep season alive with tense win over BathImage source, PA MediaImage caption, Bristol scored 14 unanswered points in the second half to come from behind to winByTom RostanceBBC Sport journalistPublished27 minutes agoThe PremBristol (7) 21Tries: Harding, penalty try, Lahiff Cons: MacGinty, Jordan Bath (19) 19Tries: Lawrence, Pepper, Du Toit Cons: Donoghue 2 Bristol dug deep to beat reigning Prem champions Bath 21-19 and keep alive their chances of gatecrashing the play-off places.After losing 94-33 at leaders Northampton two weeks ago, the Bears climbed off the canvas to put in a much more diligent performance to ease the pressure on boss Pat Lam and delight a packed Ashton Gate.

Without injured playmaker Finn Russell, Bath were not at their fluent best and did not score a point in the second half as the hosts ground out a vital win in the penultimate game of the league season.

Bristol head to Sale next weekend after closing the gap on fourth-placed Exeter to a point, while Bath missed the chance to all-but secure a top-two finish.

After a scrappy, yet high-intensity opening, Bath finally put together 11 phases of pressure and Ollie Lawrence drove over from close range to open the scoring.

Bristol were being starved of the ball and a sloppy turnover led to a second for the visitors, Ben Spencer feeding Guy Pepper to fly into the corner.

Bristol reacted well with captain Fitz Harding finishing after a quick tap penalty but Bath still found time to win a penalty at a scrum which led to prolific prop Thomas du Toit burrowing in to make the score 19-7 at the break.

The hosts needed something – and were handed a penalty try when England wing Henry Arundell was sent to the bin early in the second half for a deliberate knock-on which denied Louis Rees-Zammit a score in the corner.

The rapid Rees-Zammit then almost scored a brilliant solo try to draw Bristol level but could not ground his own clever kick ahead.

Bath, restored to 15, thought they had a bonus-point try through replacement Alfie Barbeary but it was chalked off for a knock-on.

Ted Hill made a superb try-saving tackle to blunt a Bristol attack but Max Lahiff then drove over to put the home side ahead with 13 minutes remaining.

Both sides pushed for another score and Bath full-back Santi Carreras attempted to snatch victory with a stoppage-time penalty from inside his own half, but it drifted wide and Bristol took the win.

Bristol: Heward; Ravouvou, Rees-Zammit, Moroni, Van Rensburg; MacGinty, Randall; Genge, Thacker, Kloska; Dun, Batley, Owen, Harding, Grondona.

Replacements: Gwilliam, Woolmore, Lahiff, Halliwell, Taylor, Marmion, Jordan, Bates.

Bath: Carreras; Cokanasiga, Lawrence, Ojomoh, Arundell; Donoghue, Spencer (c); Obana, Tuipulotu, du Toit; Hill, Ewels, Staddon, Underhill, Pepper.

Replacements: Frost, van Wyk, Sela, Richards, Bayliss, Carr-Smith, Redpath, Barbeary.

Sin bin: Arundell (44)

Referee: Karl Dickson

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