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.
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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.
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"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.
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"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
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