Bath could hardly have wished for a more encouraging May on the River Avon. A comfortable victory over the leaders of the premiership was almost the least bonus compared to the unexpected price of a semi-final at home. Sale has done them a great favour, which may not be repaid when the Sharks travel to Somerset in last place for a week on Saturday.
Admittedly, this was largely a second team from Northampton, but Bath is exactly the kind of team that could end the season at a gallop. Johann van Graan’s team is now 80 minutes away from a first Premiership final in nine years and historically, home advantage has proved to be a significant advantage in the semi-finals.
Add to that a beautiful early summer afternoon, which resulted in a near-perfect day for the bath supporters, who waited an awfully long time for fate to turn in their favour. Although they don’t have to be at their best, a six-on-two try count told the story of a one-way game that underlined the depth of the team available to them.
It was also a remarkable rise from the table foot two years ago to their currently lofty position, with Van Graan highlighting the contribution of his halfbacks Finn Russell and Ben Spencer. Russell had another tactically influential game and his coach remains a big fan of his fit opening half. “The game is about great players in great positions,” Van Graan said. “What Finn has been through in the last few weeks to return to this position has been phenomenal. It was an health issue importante…il worked day and night with our medical team. I can’t talk about him enough.”
If the biggest roar of the game was reserved for Spencer’s 54-minute interception score, which secured the bonus point, which guaranteed bath’s playoff spot, the steady impact of the home game and the unforgiving way they broke up in the last quarter also bode well for the round of eight. They could even afford to wrap Russell in cotton long before the end, since the work was long over.
It was a far cry from Northampton’s 90-0 thrashing of Gloucester last week, as it should have been from the moment the Saints appointed a team with 13 changes. They will clearly be a more difficult affair in the semifinals and deserve to be at the top of the standings in the regular season, but here’s another reminder that the playoffs depend just as much on which team finishes stronger.
There was certainly no doubting the badepack’s intent from the moment they scolded for a push attempt completed by Josh Bayliss. Within a quarter of an hour they had a second, a nice help in straightening the line from Russell, who sent an accelerating Will Muir.
Saints increased the gap for a while and were rewarded with a try for James Ramm just before the break, making the most of bath’s full-back Matt Gallagher, having been the victim of a sin-bin two minutes earlier. It never seemed like a big turning point, and it turned out. Another push gave a third score at home, which was finished by hooker Tom Dunn, before Spencer’s 55-yard runaway sealed the bonus of four tries.