Latest news with #Bath
Times
5 hours ago
- General
- Times
Bristol Bears book semi-final against Bath after hammering Harlequins
Just a regal afternoon from Bristol Bears, one in which a monster crowd at Ashton Gate positively revelled. After the game, we were led to believe via a song that cider would be downed in the biggest rugby city in Britain. Bristol will play away against Bath on Friday in the play-off semi-finals and the Recreation Ground is nowhere remotely big enough to accommodate those who would want to go. Such is the rivalry and the intensity for rugby in the West Country that a 50,000 capacity may not be enough either. We all know that Bristol have their daft moments, that occasionally their defence lets them down and here again on Saturday they did throw the odd speculative pass and made the odd error simply through their joyous tendencies to attack with every ball that comes back.
Yahoo
6 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Saracens miss out on play-offs despite Bath win
Elliot Daly's try helped Saracens to a bonus-point win which was not enough to get them into the top four. [PA Media] Gallagher Premiership Saracens (19) 36 Tries: Segun, George 2, Daly, Dan, Burke Cons: Burke 3 Bath (7) 26 Tries: Green, Offiah, Tuipolutu, Hennessey Cons: Bailey 3 Saracens chalked up the bonus-point win over Bath they needed to retain any hope of making the Premiership play-offs but results elsewhere thwarted their bid. Sarries needed a bonus-point victory and for two of the teams above them to fail to prevail on the final day of the regular season, and were always in charge against an under-strength Bath side. Advertisement Dan George scored two tries, and Rotimi Segun, Elliot Daly, Theo Dan and Fergus Burke all crossed the line but with Saracens' rivals all winning, they could not move out of sixth place. The win gave Alex Goode, playing his 402nd and final game before retirement, an emotional send-off but scorelines in other parts of the country meant the Men in Black failed to finish in the top four for only the third time since 2009. Bath handed debuts to seven players and their youngsters staged a big finish as 18-year-old Tyler Offiah, son of rugby league legend Martin, marked his debut with a second half try, quickly followed by scores for Kepu Tuipolutu and Louie Hennessey. Saracens' chances of making the top four were effectively ended a fortnight ago by a late Northampton Saints try which saw them go down 28-24 but on a tense final day they could still have finished second, behind Bath, with the right set of results. Advertisement A hopeful home crowd was soon silenced as the very young Bath pack, without a single starter above 23 years old, began brightly. They ran the ball directly at the Sarries line for Green to burrow over and put the visitors ahead. That youthful exuberance in attack, however, was soon swamped by the stark reality of trying to defend against an efficient and well-practised set of Sarries forwards who soon put them under intense pressure. Saracens hit back immediately as Fergus Burke's fine kick took them to five metres and a quick switch to the left sent Segun over. The Sarries pack took full control after that, George finishing two maul tries either side of Daly's try, which came from an angled run onto Ivan van Zyl's pass from the base of the scrum. Advertisement With the bonus-point banked, George was taken off ahead of what would probably have been a hat-trick, and his replacement Dan pocketed the third maul try of the day within 90 seconds of going onto the field as the home forwards imposed themselves. Burke, whose kicking was poor on the day, bagged a try by latching onto van Zyl's chip and then himself lobbing the cover before gathering to go over under the posts. Bath, who will face local rivals Bristol next Friday in the first play-off semi-final, had the final say with a flourish which gave their supporters a taste of the future. Offiah had a sparkling cameo on his league debut, producing a finish of which his father would have been proud and then coming up with a break that laid the platform for another prospect, 19-year-old Tuipolutu. Advertisement Bath staged a big finish as Hennessey ran in an interception try which momentarily put the result in doubt until Sarries closed the game out. Saracens: Carre, George, Riccioni, Itoje, Isiekwe, McFarland, Onyeama-Christie, Willis, van Zyl, Burke, Segun, Tompkins, Daly, Elliott, Goode Replacements: Dan, Mawi, Beaton, Tizard, Gonzalez, Earl, Bracken, Cinti Bath: Kirk, Spandler, Griffin, Jeanes, Richards, Staddon, Cowan, Green, Schreuder, Bailey, McConnochie, Parry, Hennessey, Emens, Woods. Replacements: Tuipolutu, Cordwell, Verden, Graham, Timmins, le Roux, Offiah, Stewart. Referee: Karl Dickson
BBC News
7 hours ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Premiership Rugby: Leicester, Sale and Bristol into semi-finals
Update: Date: 17:36 BST Title: Bye for now... Content: After 36 weeks and 18 rounds of regular-season action, we have the four clubs that will be going for Premiership glory this season. Leaders Bath will face fierce rivals Bristol on Friday night in what could be an outrageously entertaining game of attacking rugby between two sides that flood forward with fearless aggression. Then we have second-placed Leicester Tigers up against Sale Sharks on Saturday. It is a match that screams rugby union arm-wrestle! You can follow radio and live text commentaries of both those matches right here on the BBC Sport website. Until then, adios. Update: Date: 17:33 BST Title: The final standings Content: So the day ends as it began with Leicester and Sale both getting over the line to secure third and fourth place, respectively. Bristol came through a breathless match with Harlequins, while Gloucester and Saracens both won their games but ultimately fell short. Update: Date: 17:30 BST Title: 'I'm unbelievably excited' - Curry Content: FT: Exeter 26-30 Sale Sale captain Ben Curry told TNT Sports: "Credit to Exeter, they're an unbelievable team and we knew that coming down here. "Where they are in the table probably doesn't reflect how good a side they are - all credit to Exeter but we can definitely do better. We know there's more in us. "Rob [du Preez] said we were fighting for another Monday together and we've got that so we're very grateful to get into a semi-final. We've worked unbelievably hard to get there." On the Premiership play-off semi-final against Leicester Tigers next Saturday: "I can't wait - one of those ones, Welford Road away, I'm unbelievably excited already." Update: Date: 17:24 BST Title: 'There'll be fireworks at Bath' - MacGinty Content: FT: Bristol 52-26 Harlequins Bristol Bears fly-half AJ MacGinty speaking to TNT Sports: "It's massive [to win today]. I think we wanted to finish the season strong. "Our home form this season hasn't been great so there was an edge this week, a lot to play for so we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to come out and deliver. "We spoke a lot about it being 11 months of hard work to get to this point and let's finish the job and get that play-off spot. "Next week at the Rec's going to be a hell of an atmosphere." On the semi-final against Bath: "Since I've been here it's the one game that the players and the local lads, it gets the going like no other game. It means so much to the boys to represent Bristol and what it means to the fans, so yeah fireworks next week - fireworks." Update: Date: 17:21 BST Title: 'Cheika is world class' Content: FT: Leicester 42-20 Newcastle Tom VarndellFormer England and Leicester wing on BBC Radio Leicester If Michael Cheika can mould his Leicester side properly they can absolutely beat Sale, and get themselves into the final. He is a world class coach and has the ability to get someone ready for war, and Leicester will be seeing it as going to war two weeks in a row. It's also huge that the match will be at home, with the Welford Road crowd behind the players. Update: Date: 17:19 BST Title: 'I'm so proud' - Sanderson Content: FT: Exeter 26-30 Sale Sharks Sale Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson told TNT Sports: "I've got one of these smart watches to track my heart rate and the alarm was going off for the whole of the second half. "Nerve-wracking and probably made it tough for ourselves at times but chuffed that we're in the semi-finals but we've got to be better than that. "We'll have a good crack on the plane home tonight and I'll lean into Sunday and maybe get a bottle of Malbec and then it's all hands to the pump again on Monday morning. "It's such a good group. I'm so proud of them." On finding out about Sale's semi-final opponents, Leicester Tigers: "Oh well good. We've learned some lessons and we'll have to put that right from two or three weeks ago. I'll be looking forward to going back down there." Update: Date: 17:16 BST Title: Post Content: FT: Exeter 26-30 Sale Brent PilnickBBC Sport at Sandy Park That was some finish at Sandy Park, but in the end the home fans go home disappointed. It was a valiant effort from Exeter, and one that will give them hope for next season. As for Sale, they can be buoyed by some of their first half attacking play, but they will know they have to work on their defence as they struggled to cope with Exeter at times after the break. Update: Date: 17:13 BST Title: 'Play-offs will be cracking' Content: FT: Bristol 52-26 Harlequins Gareth ChilcottEx-England and Bath prop on BBC Radio Bristol Bristol will need to work on their defence this week but you know the play-offs will be a cracker. Bath will be worried about this Bristol side, especially because they've just been beaten by Saracens. It could go either way. Update: Date: 17:10 BST Title: Semi-finals confirmed Content: Premiership play-off semi-final fixtures So there we go, at the end of the day the table stayed as it was before this afternoon started. 1 Bath 2 Leicester 3 Sale 4 Bristol That means that next week our two semi-finals will be: Bath v Bristol, Friday, 6 June (19:45 BST) Leicester v Sale, Saturday, 7 June (15:30 BST) Update: Date: 17:05 BST Title: Post Content: And breathe. The curtain has closed on the 18th and final round of the 2024-25 Premiership season and we have full-time in all five of our matches. Let's see where that leaves us, shall we and get some reaction. Update: Date: 17:01 BST Title: Full-time Content: Leicester 42-20 Newcastle Leicester have themselves a shot at a record-extending 12th Premiership crown. This win sets up a home semi-final against Sale Sharks next week. It will be another emotional day as it is the last chance for a number of favourites, including living club legends Ben Youngs and Dan Cole, to play at home. Update: Date: 17:00 BST Title: Full-time Content: Gloucester 41-26 Northampton Gloucester did all they could to try snatch a play-off spot today, but results elsewhere mean they fall just short. Headlining the win was Christian Wade, who signs off a Premiership player with two tries. He switches rugby codes next week to join Super League giants Wigan Warriors. Update: Date: 17:00 BST Title: Converted try: Leicester 42-20 Newcastle Content: Ollie Hassell-Collins (78 mins) con Ben Volavola Ollie Hassell-Collins gets the try he has richly deserved today! It's a score that completes an ultimately comfortable win that secures a home play-off semi-final next week. Update: Date: 16:58 BST Title: Try: Gloucester 41-26 Northampton Content: Christian Wade (79 mins) Christian Wade has signed off from rugby union in style! He races away with all the flash that has made him one of the Premiership's most prolific try-scorers. Gloucester will win this easy, but they will fall short of the play-offs. Update: Date: 16:56 BST Title: Full-time Content: Bristol 52-26 Harlequins It'll be at least one more game for this captivating Bristol side as the final whistle confirms the victory that secures fourth spot for the Bears. An incredible 12 tries today at Ashton Gate between two of the league's great entertainers. A wonderful game to wrap things up in Bristol for another year. They'll face local rivals Bath for a place at Twickenham. Update: Date: 16:56 BST Title: 'Curry relieved' Content: FT: Exeter 26-30 Sale Chris MallabandBBC Radio Manchester It was a valiant effort by Chiefs to get back into this, but you just know Ben Curry will be the most relieved man in the stadium. His misplaced pass could've led to a try. Update: Date: 16:55 BST Title: Converted try: Leicester 35-20 Newcastle Content: Sammy Arnold (76 mins) con Brett Connon Newcastle have not relented, despite being well done late on. Sammy Arnold finishes off a well worked team move before Brett Connon converts. Just three minutes left in this one. Update: Date: 16:54 BST Title: Full-time: Exeter 26-30 Sale Content: Sale breathe a MASSIVE sigh of relief. With the last play of the game, Exeter look to play ball in hand but an overcooked pass sees the ball go out of play and that is that. It was a terrific second-half performance from Exeter, who remember trailed at the break by 15 points, but it wasn't enough to get a result as the Sharks seal third place in the final season standings and set up a clash at Leicester Tigers next Saturday in the Premiership play-off semi-final. Tries from Rekeiti Ma'asi-White, Bevan Rodd and England's Luke Cowan-Dickie helped them get over the line today but you would imagine they will have to play better than that if they are to get their hands on just a second Premiership title in their history. Update: Date: 16:54 BST Title: Converted try: Leicester 35-13 Newcastle Content: Matt Rogerson (73 mins), Ben Volavola Matt Rogerson is another Leicester Tigers players on their way out at the end of the season, and he has come up with a bit of a leaving present. Solomone Kata shifts the ball to Rogerson, who barges over to finish. It is blow-out now. Update: Date: 16:53 BST Title: Full-time Content: Saracens 36-26 Bath The full-time whistle brings an end to Saracens' season as they miss out on the play-offs for only the third time since 2009. The Men in Black looked like they had wrapped the result up long ago but a very young Bath side put in a spirited fightback to bring them within 10 points at StoneX Stadium.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Ibitoye double fires Bristol past Harlequins to clinch playoff tie at Bath
A long way, still, from a first English title maybe, but Bristol stared down their darkest demons in the sunshine at Ashton Gate. No, no, not again, all but the most phlegmatic of a raucous crowd must have been thinking, as Harlequins threatened to overturn Bristol's early lead in all-too-familiar style, midway through the second half. Memories of that extraordinary semi-final here four years ago were at the forefront of everyone's minds, including, surely, those in blue out there on the greensward, lungs burning, minds twisting. Had they succumbed, the entire Pat Lam project might just have gone up in smoke, so yawning the flaws would have seemed. Advertisement Related: Lions match highlights on free-to-air TV this summer – with Welsh commentary As it is, players, coaches and staff held their nerve. Only five points ahead with more than 25 minutes remaining, having been 19 ahead midway through the first, Bristol finished strongly to claim the fourth playoff spot – and with it a tie at deeply beloved rivals down the A4, Bath. They can move on to that now with confidence and little to lose. The telling moment was a searching touch-finder from AJ MacGinty, the man-of-the-match and such a vital hand on the tiller for this wild, free-flowing team. His 50-22 just shy of the hour set up the attack from which Bristol replied to Quins' questions, in a way that proved impossible in 2021. When Santiago Grondona drove over at the second attempt, for Bristol's sixth try of the day, the visitors, albeit this time playing without the prize on offer the year they went on to win the final, fell away. Gabriel Ibitoye, once of Quins himself, scored his second a few minutes later, his 13th try of the season, before BJ van Rensburg crashed over with 10 minutes remaining. In a match that was a microcosm of their season – so rich in action and flair for the first half, before dwindling alarmingly in the second half – Bristol had righted themselves to deny Gloucester and Saracens, who both registered bonus-point wins behind them. Advertisement Bristol had rattled up an early lead. Not quite the 28-0 lead after half an hour they held in 2021, but 26-7 up, bonus-point fourth in the bag, within 25 minutes is going some. They thought they had a fifth within the half-hour, only for it to be chalked off for a marginal forward pass. George Kloska, Joe Batley, the lethal Kalaveti Ravouvou and Viliame Mata were the try-scorers, with Cadan Murley, electric as always, scoring the first of two first-half tries for Quins. When Ibitoye finished a counterattack from Bristol's 22 five minutes in the second half, all seemed set fair at 31-12. But then came Quins, without a care in the world. Alex Dombrandt and George Hammond finished quickfire tries to set the Bears the test. They came through.
The Guardian
7 hours ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Ibitoye double fires Bristol past Harlequins to clinch playoff tie at Bath
A long way, still, from a first English title maybe, but Bristol stared down their darkest demons in the sunshine at Ashton Gate. No, no, not again, all but the most phlegmatic of a raucous crowd must have been thinking, as Harlequins threatened to overturn Bristol's early lead in all-too-familiar style, midway through the second half. Memories of that extraordinary semi-final here four years ago were at the forefront of everyone's minds, including, surely, those in blue out there on the greensward, lungs burning, minds twisting. Had they succumbed, the entire Pat Lam project might just have gone up in smoke, so yawning the flaws would have seemed. As it is, players, coaches and staff held their nerve. Only five points ahead with more than 25 minutes remaining, having been 19 ahead midway through the first, Bristol finished strongly to claim the fourth playoff spot – and with it a tie at deeply beloved rivals down the A4, Bath. They can move on to that now with confidence and little to lose. The telling moment was a searching touch-finder from AJ MacGinty, the man-of-the-match and such a vital hand on the tiller for this wild, free-flowing team. His 50-22 just shy of the hour set up the attack from which Bristol replied to Quins' questions, in a way that proved impossible in 2021. When Santiago Grondona drove over at the second attempt, for Bristol's sixth try of the day, the visitors, albeit this time playing without the prize on offer the year they went on to win the final, fell away. Gabriel Ibitoye, once of Quins himself, scored his second a few minutes later, his 13th try of the season, before BJ van Rensburg crashed over with 10 minutes remaining. In a match that was a microcosm of their season – so rich in action and flair for the first half, before dwindling alarmingly in the second half – Bristol had righted themselves to deny Gloucester and Saracens, who both registered bonus-point wins behind them. Bristol had rattled up an early lead. Not quite the 28-0 lead after half an hour they held in 2021, but 26-7 up, bonus-point fourth in the bag, within 25 minutes is going some. They thought they had a fifth within the half-hour, only for it to be chalked off for a marginal forward pass. George Kloska, Joe Batley, the lethal Kalaveti Ravouvou and Viliame Mata were the try-scorers, with Cadan Murley, electric as always, scoring the first of two first-half tries for Quins. Sign up to The Breakdown The latest rugby union news and analysis, plus all the week's action reviewed after newsletter promotion When Ibitoye finished a counterattack from Bristol's 22 five minutes in the second half, all seemed set fair at 31-12. But then came Quins, without a care in the world. Alex Dombrandt and George Hammond finished quickfire tries to set the Bears the test. They came through.
