Challenge Cup victory can start golden era for Bath, says Lawrence Dallaglio
By Paul Eddison, Sportsbeat
An EPCR Challenge Cup victory can be the springboard to a golden era as Lawrence Dallaglio knows only too well – making Bath's trip to Cardiff this Friday a huge opportunity.
Advertisement
Finn Russell and co will hope to bring home the second part of a treble when they take on French side Lyon in the Challenge Cup final at Principality Stadium, live on Premier Sports 1, with a Premiership Rugby Cup victory having already ended Bath's 17-year wait for silverware.
They are also heavy favourites to take the Gallagher Premiership crown that narrowly escaped them last season, having already clinched top spot and underlined their position with a thumping win over second-placed Leicester Tigers at the weekend.
For Dallaglio, who is part of a 15-strong Premier Sports TV punditry team delivering the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup for Premier Sports, the new broadcasters of international club rugby's premier competitions, feels the Final gives Bath a chance to exorcise some demons from last year's heart-breaking Premiership final loss to Northampton Saints.
That day, even after Beno Obano's first-half red card, they were only denied by a late Alex Mitchell try.
Advertisement
And former England and Wasps No.8 Dallaglio recalled how victory in the Challenge Cup back in 2002 – coincidentally against Bath – was the catalyst for his club's extended run of success.
He said: 'I hate constantly making parallels with my own playing career. But when Wasps embarked on our golden period of success, it all started with the Challenge Cup final.
'Ironically, it was a fixture against Bath in the final that kicked us off. We won that and then went on to win our first Premiership final against Gloucester as well.
'Bath have targeted the Premiership and been the front-runners all season, they have been outstanding in terms of their consistency, but this is a golden opportunity for them to get another trophy in the cabinet. And for them to prove themselves that they are capable of winning these things.
Advertisement
'Having the better team for most of last year's final, even being down to 14 men, they still missed out. They will want to rectify that and win this. If you are going to go on and win the Premiership, there is value in these sorts of games in giving you the confidence that you have got what it takes to win the one-off knockout occasions.'
They face a Lyon team that has plenty of star power, including standout Georgian full-back Davit Niniashvili, while they beat Owen Farrell's Racing 92 in the semi-finals.
But fresh from a pair of league defeats that has hurt their chances of reaching the Top 14 play-offs, Dallaglio believes that Bath rightly go into the game as favourites, particularly with the proximity of the Welsh capital to the Rec.
He added: 'Whenever you take on a French side on a neutral ground away from France, you fancy your chances. The fact it is in Cardiff, and Lyon coming off the back of two defeats, I fancy Bath to be strong favourites.
Advertisement
'For me it feels like a home game – for Bath and Northampton (who play Bordeaux-Bègles in the Investec Champions Cup final on Saturday, also live on Premier Sports 1). They have got to take full advantage of that. They will feel more comfortable than their opponents.'
Premier Sports is the home of Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup with 80 games live throughout the competition including this weekend's Finals on 23 and 24 May live from Principality Stadium, Cardiff. Visit: www.premiersports.com to sign-up for all the action from URC, Top 14, MLR, Japan League One and EPCR rugby at just £11.99 per month.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Bath boss plays down Finn Russell injury fears after semi-final win over Bristol
Bath boss Johann van Graan has played down injury fears over Finn Russell, insisting that the fly half was just dealing with cramp when he limped off late in the Premiership semi-final win over Bristol. The hosts battled back after a fast and furious first half from Bristol to book their place in the Premiership final for a second straight year, with Russell typically influential in a 34-20 win. Advertisement The Scotland fly half, set to tour Australia with the British and Irish Lions this summer, helped turn the tide in combination with half-back partner Ben Spencer as Bath powered clear to set up a meeting with either Leicester or Sale next Saturday. The 32-year-old appeared to give Van Graan, and perhaps Lions coach Andy Farrell, reason to fret as he departed before the end of the game sporting a large bruise on his left leg, with the Scot in apparent discomfort even while exchanging verbals with the Bristol team and smiling. But Van Graan has moved to allay worries of an injury, stressing that he expects Russell to be fit as Bath look to end a 29-year wait for a top-flight title. 'Multiple parts of his body are cramping," Van Graan said as his side took a step closer to a possible treble. "He put in some effort, I thought. His goalkicking was phenomenal, the chases that he put in too. He was still cramping in the changing room but there's no reason to suppose he won't be fine. Advertisement "It was amazing how many guys on both sides went down with cramp. It just showed the effort that both teams put in. We worked incredibly hard to get into this position, to get back to Twickenham." Finn Russell (left) celebrated with Bath owner Bruce Craig after leading the side to the Premiership final (Getty Images) Bath were beaten finalists last year, pushing Northampton close at Twickenham despite Beno Obano's early sending off. Their depth was on full display as they rallied to beat their rivals on a raucous Friday night at The Rec, with back rows Guy Pepper, Miles Reid and Ted Hill all producing standout performances even in the absence of the suspended Sam Underhill. The impact of Springboks tighthead Thomas du Toit also proved key, with the South Africa international relieving a possible Lions starter in Will Stuart to further illustrate the options on offer to Van Graan. Johann van Graan has coached Bath into back-to-back Premiership finals (Steven Paston/PA Wire) "That's a Premiership semi-final for you,' the Bath coach explained. 'We knew this was going to be a tough game and we picked a 23 that we believe will get the job done. Advertisement "I thought at 34-13, we got some momentum but Bristol is a good team. They kept on attacking and it's never dead on 34-20. It was some game of rugby. We knew that we were going to be stretched but we actually defended pretty well. "At half-time we spoke about our game and composure. It shows that we are a team that is fluid and adaptable. We made one or two tactical changes and then our fitness came through, our hunger, our will to win.' Additional reporting by PA
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Sky the limit' for treble winners Bath
Captain Ben Spencer says the "sky is the limit" for Bath after they ended a 29-year wait for a Premiership trophy and clinched a historic treble. Spencer lifted the trophy at Allianz Stadium Twickenham on Saturday after a tense, closely-fought 23-21 final victory against Leicester Tigers. Advertisement Bath added their first league title since 1996 to Premiership Rugby Cup and European Challenge Cup silverware won earlier this campaign. "The future of this club is unbelievably bright, no matter who pulls on the shirt it's next man in," Spencer said. "The work ethic is second to none. As long as we keep our feet on the floor and keep on wanting to get better, the sky is the limit for this team." Spencer joined Bath in 2020 after nine years with Saracens where he won seven major trophies - including four Premiership titles - through the London club's era of dominance. The 32-year-old was made captain in 2022-23 as head of rugby Johann van Graan's tenure at Bath began, just months after the club had finished bottom of the league the season before. Advertisement "The amount of hard work this has taken to turn the ship around... we were bottom three years ago," added Spencer. "I can't credit [Van Graan] enough, he's been absolutely brilliant. If we [understand] there's always an opportunity to get better then I'm really excited for the next couple of years." Bath narrowly lost to Northampton in the Twickenham showpiece last June but were overwhelming favourites this time around. They ended the regular league campaign 11 points clear at the top of the table and wrapped up top spot and a home semi-final in the play-offs with three rounds of games still to play. Advertisement Scrum-half Spencer said he mainly felt "relief" at the final whistle because of the prolonged build-up. "To get the mindset right when you qualify early as we did is quite tough," he said. "I played that semi-final in my head hundreds of times. Day in, day out it was, 'who are we going to get?' It's a hard place to be mentally. "It's relief for me, the players, staff and fans." 'Champion teams win things multiple times' Van Graan said his side had done the "unthinkable" in winning the league title three years after he took over. The squad will now go their separate ways over the summer, with international commitments, including the British and Irish Lions tour of Australia. Advertisement They will not reconvene until a pre-season camp in September but Van Graan said the ambition to keep getting better will not diminish. "I'll set the vision we'll align as a group and we'll take whatever's next - champion teams are teams that win things multiple times," he added. "The day you stand still is the day somebody catches you. "I learned in my time at [South African club] Bulls when I was part of a team that won a lot, you must always train like number two because the other guys are coming. "We'll look at ourselves and we'll go again. It's a journey, there's no end point." Advertisement Additional reporting by Alex Hoad
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Yahoo
Russell savours 'special' Premiership title win
Finn Russell kicked 13 points and set up a try as Bath won the Gallagher Premiership [Getty Images] Finn Russell says winning a first Gallagher Premiership title is "special" and "has not sunk in" as the fly-half guided Bath to victory against Leicester Tigers. The Scotland international kicked 13 points and intercepted a pass before setting up Max Ojomoh to score Bath's crucial second try in the 23-21 win. Advertisement Although it was their third trophy of the season, having won the Premiership Rugby Cup and Challenge Cup, it was the club's first league title since 1996 and Russell's first since the Pro 12 success with Glasgow Warriors in 2015. "It's not sunk in yet," Russell told BBC Radio 5 Live. "Winning the Challenge Cup was brilliant but at the start of the year the goal was to win the Premiership. It's 10 years since I won it at Glasgow in my second season there, and now I've won it here in my second season. "It's special. This group, the city, the club deserves it. The work we've put in over the last few years, more years than I've been here, and then what we do on the pitch is try to represent the city as best we can. Advertisement "After last year's defeat [against Northampton], we bounced back really quickly and we managed to get the job done." Russell, who will now tour Australia with the British and Irish Lions, has been a key figure in a dominant season for Bath. At Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, the 32-year-old was influential again, none more so than when he picked off Handre Pollard's pass to race towards the line, before flinging the ball inside for Ojomoh to finish under the posts. Asked why he gave that pass rather than score himself, Russell added: "He's a kid from Bath that grew up watching his dad [Steve] lifting this trophy. Giving him a little bit of limelight in the final was nice." Advertisement Russell said he will enjoy "a couple of quiet ones" to celebrate and was filmed giving his boots to a bath fan in the Twickenham stands after the game.
