A penalty from the final kick of the game handed the University of Bath their first league victory at Sandy Park.
James Beverley celebrates with his University of Bath team-mates after his last-gasp penalty secured victory at Sandy Park | Photo © BUCS / James Andrews
James Beverley showed great composure at the death to boot three points to secure a British Universities & Colleges Sport (BUCS) Super Rugby Round 14 victory for Bath over their Exeter counterparts on Wednesday 4th February.
The visitors were trailing in the final minute but applying enormous pressure on the Exeter defence.
And thanks to Beverley holding his nerve from the tee, Bath came through 20-18.
Without 12 key players unavailable due to international call-ups, the guests conceded two unconverted tries inside the opening 18 minutes.
But Bath demonstrated tremendous strength, both in depth and character, to turn the game on its head through a first-half try from Isaac Sprenger and a second-period touchdown from Will Keylock, the latter score converted by Beverley to put the travellers 12-10 ahead.
Scrum-half Isaac Mears then burst onto a smart pass from Iwan Coyle to score Bath’s third try, this around the hour mark, only for Exeter to reply with a five-pointer to set up a tense closing 10 minutes.
Exeter thought they had won it when, with 79 minutes on the clock, Benjy Mills kicked a penalty to put them 18-17 up.
However, Bath forced a line-out from the restart and kept the ball alive before forcing a decisive penalty of their own.
The win means it remains a two-horse race between Bath and Loughborough at the top of the table, with third-placed Durham a further 12 points behind.
Bath will be back at their Sports Training Village home this evening, Wednesday 11th February, for a Round 15 match against Cardiff. Kick-off will be at 6.30pm, with spectators admitted for free.
