Four tries in first quarter set up Bath for fine win over Munster

A four-try blitz inside the opening 19 minutes set Bath Rugby on the way to an excellent success against Munster Rugby in dreadful weather conditions on Saturday 6th December.

Investec Champions Cup action returned to The Rec on Saturday 6th December, Bath Rugby overpowering Munster Rugby 40-14 | Photo © Richard Briggs

Although the Irish team – who were backed by around 4,000 supporters at a packed-out Rec – responded well, there was no way they were going to recover from those early blows and the Blue, Black & White recorded a 40-14 victory to open their Investec Champions Cup campaign in style.

The result meant that Bath topped the Pool 2 table at the final whistle – and they stayed put once the Round 1 ties were completed on Sunday 7th December.

Munster’s preparations for the match were disrupted when forwards Michael Milne and Jean Kleyn withdrew from the starting XV. And the visitors were in total disarray in the first quarter, not helped by a dysfunctional line-out and being reduced to 14 players when captain and British & Irish Lion Tadhg Beirne was sent to the sin bin.

After going 28-0 up so quickly, Bath had a bonus-point victory as good as sealed – all they had to do was see out the match, which was largely played in heavy rain.

Munster huffed and puffed and had plenty of possession after their early nightmare. But with Bath managing the game superbly – Ben Spencer was deservedly named Investec Player of the Match after some exceptional territorial kicking – and defending strongly, the United Rugby Championship outfit’s chances of taking anything tangible from the tie evaporated.

Clayton McMillan’s team gained 238 metres, as opposed to Bath gaining 216 metres. And the guests enjoyed 63% of the possession and 67% of the territory. But they were not allowed to do much with it.

Munster’s massive travelling support in the crowd of 14,509 made a lot of noise as kick-off approached. But they were silenced in the sixth minute when Bath were awarded a penalty try on the right and Beirne was shown the yellow card by French referee Jeremy Rozier.

Rozier, who had a good game, was taking charge in Bath for the second time in under a month, having officiated the England A versus All Blacks XV fixture at The Rec on Saturday 8th November.

Bath bagged their second try in the 10th minute, Miles Reid burrowing over from close range just to the right of the posts and Finn Russell – making his 50th appearance for the club – slotting the extras.

There was more misery for 14-man Munster when, in the 12th minute, Bath added their third try. Henry Arundell surged down the left to take advantage of a long kick forward by Cameron Redpath, the winger picking up the ball four metres out and touching down in the left corner. Russell converted.

The situation became even bleaker for The Red Army in the 19th minute, despite Beirne being back on the pitch, as Johann van Graan’s team clinched the bonus point with their fourth try. Tom Dunn was the scorer from a rolling maul on the right and Russell again made no mistake from the tee.

Edwin Edogbo got Munster onto the scoreboard in the 23rd minute, touching down from close range on the right. JJ Hanrahan majored.

Bath were reduced to 14 players in the 30th minute, when Rozier brandished the yellow card at Will Stuart following an incident five metres from the home try line.

But the Blue, Black & White made light of their numerical disadvantage by scoring their fifth try, this in the 38th minute. Beno Obano went over from short range just to the right of the posts and Russell again obliged with the two points.

However, Munster narrowed the gap before the turnaround when, with the clock in the red, Craig Casey scored a close-range try on the right and Hanrahan booted the extras to make the score 35-14.

It would have been virtually impossible to replicate the drama of the first half in the second period. And so it proved.

Munster pressed, van Graan brought on five pairs of fresh legs in the 63rd minute, and Bath scored the only try, indeed the only points, of the half.

In the 78th minute, Spencer burst forward from 35 metres, then chipped, gathered and, six metres out, offloaded for replacement Ted Hill to score in the right corner. Russell’s conversion attempt rebounded off the left post.

The one big disappointment for the Blue, Black & White against Munster was the loss to injury of Stuart in the 50th minute. Bath head of rugby van Graan said at his post-match press conference: “He’s not in a good way. We’ll take our time but it looks like it’s his Achilles.”

Bath starting XV: 1 Beno Obano, 2 Tom Dunn, 3 Will Stuart, 4 Quinn Roux, 5 Charlie Ewels, 6 Josh Bayliss, 7 Guy Pepper, 8 Miles Reid, 9 Ben Spencer, 10 Finn Russell, 11 Henry Arundell, 12 Cameron Redpath, 13 Max Ojomoh, 14 Joe Cokanasiga, 15 Tom de Glanville.

Bath replacements: 16 Kepueli Tuipulotu, 17 Francois van Wyk, 18 Thomas du Toit, 19 Ross Molony, 20 Ted Hill, 21 Tom Carr-Smith, 22 Santi Carreras, 23 Sam Underhill.

Munster starting XV: 1 Jeremy Loughman, 2 Diarmuid Barron, 3 John Ryan, 4 Edwin Edogbo, 5 Tom Ahern, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 7 John Hodnett, 8 Gavin Coombes, 9 Craig Casey, 10 JJ Hanrahan, 11 Thaakir Abrahams, 12 Dan Kelly, 13 Tom Farrell, 14 Diarmuid Kilgallen, 15 Shane Daly.

Munster replacements: 16 Lee Barron, 17 Josh Wycherley, 18 Michael Ala’alatoa, 19 Fineen Wycherley, 20 Ruadhán Quinn, 21 Ethan Coughlan, 22 Alex Nankivell, 23 Alex Kendellen.

Bath will face French Top 14 high-fliers RC Toulon at Stade Felix Mayol in Champions Cup Round 2 on Sunday 14th December.