Bath win Premiership Cup to end trophy drought

Yahoo

16-03-2025

Exeter (14) 14
Tries: Tshiunza, Sio Cons: Hodge 2
Bath (17) 48
Tries: Carr-Smith, Cokanasiga, du Toit, Dunn 2, Richards, Schreuder Cons: Donoghue 5 Pens: Donoghue
Bath ended their 17-year trophy drought as they overpowered Exeter at Sandy Park to win the Premiership Rugby Cup.
A clinical second-half display earned their first silverware since the European Challenge Cup in 2008, and a first domestic trophy in 29 years.
Christ Tshiunza and Scott Sio went over for the Chiefs in a tight first half, but Tom Carr-Smith and Joe Cokanasiga responded and Ciaran Donoghue's penalty nudged Bath 17-14 ahead at half-time.
Thomas du Toit and Tom Dunn muscled their way over as Bath pulled away, before tries from Ewan Richards and Louis Schreuder, and Dunn's second, capped an impressive final quarter.
It could be the first part of a treble for the Blue, Black and Whites, who sit top of the Premiership and are in the last 16 of the European Challenge Cup.
In contrast, heavy defeat in the final compounds a miserable campaign for Exeter, who sit second bottom in the Premiership and fielded a strong and experienced starting XV to try and lift the gloom.
Bath were the dominant force in English club rugby for large parts of the 1980s and 1990s, winning six league titles in eight seasons and lifting the domestic cup 10 times in 13 seasons.
It would have seemed unimaginable to followers of Bath's double-winning team of 1995-96 that the club would face a chastening 29-year wait for their next domestic trophy.
Their hopes of ending that run were in the balance in an even first half.
Exeter were denied a 10th-minute opening score when the TMO chalked off Stu Townsend's close-range snipe for a Franco Molina knock-on, but after a point-less opening quarter, the final sprang to life with three tries in six minutes.
Tshiunza was driven over following a well-rehearsed lineout as Exeter drew first blood, but Bath responded within 30 seconds of the restart as Alfie Barbeary darted through a gap at the ruck to send Carr-Smith away under the posts.
The visitors went ahead when Ruaridh McConnochie's break fed Cokanasiga, inches from the touchline, and he applied a super one-handed finish.
Yet Exeter restored parity when slick play through the hands stretched the Bath defence and Jack Yeandle's brilliant offload kept the move alive for Sio to stretch for the line.
Bath upped the ante at half-time as they sent on three of their 'bomb squad' off the bench to bolster the front row - and their presence was immediately felt.
Their power quickly won a scrum penalty, which allowed them to pummel the Exeter line where replacement du Toit went over after 12 sapping phases.
The hosts had a second try chalked off by TMO when Josh Hodge put a foot over the left touchline at the start of a sweeping move which ended with Paul Brown-Bampoe's excellent finish in the right corner.
It would prove a pivotal moment. Instead of cutting the gap to a single score, Exeter then watched the visitors move out of sight.
Home skipper Yeandle saw yellow for obstructing an almost certain Bath score, and from the sinbin watched his side cough up two scores.
Dunn burrowed through a small gap to stretch a long arm over the line, and the game was effectively up when Max Ojomoh was held up close to the line before captain Richards dived over from the resulting ruck.
Bath hooker Dunn, in his 14th season with the Somerset club, added further gloss with his second try, spinning through challenges and reaching for the line, before Schreuder's dive for the corner gave Bath a fifth try of the half.
Exeter: Sio, Yeandle (c), Iosefa-Scott, Molina, Tshiunza, Roots, Vermeulen, Fisilau, Townsend, Skinner, Hodge, Tua, Hawkins, Brown-Bampoe, Wyatt.
Replacements: Frost, Blose, Street, Pearson, Capstick, Cairns, Haydon-Wood, Rigg.
Sin-bin: Yeandle (56).
Bath: Cordwell, Spandler, Verden, Jeanes, Richards (c), Green, Staddon, Barbeary, Carr-Smith, Donoghue, McConnochie, Butt, Redpath, Cokanasiga, Emens.
Replacements: Dunn, Obano, Du Toit, Reid, Pepper, Schreuder, Ojomoh, Coetzee.