Bath Rugby
Bristol Bears
Hill (41'), Cokanasiga (48'), Muir (54'), Ojomoh (59')
Tries
Dun (17'), Rensburg (73')
Russell (42', 49', 55', 60')
Conversions
MacGinty (18'), Byrne (73')
Russell (22', 37')
Penalties
MacGinty (12', 40')
Bath’s ability to take the emotion out of their Gallagher Premiership semifinal against Bristol Bears was key to their victory on Friday.
Johann van Graan’s side dominated the second half to win 34-20 and reach the final at Allianz Stadium next weekend. Tries came from Ted Hill, Joe Cokanasiga, Will Muir, and Max Ojomoh after Bristol led at the break.
Bath will return to English rugby’s headquarters a year after they lost the final to Northampton Saints. They will take on the winner of Leicester Tigers and Sale Sharks who meet on Saturday.
STAYING CALM
In the build-up to the match between teams that lie 13 miles apart, Bristol’s players and staff talked about the emotion of beating their more successful rivals twice this season.
It had an immediate effect when James Dun opened the scoring, but when Bath raised their intensity after halftime, there was little Bristol could do to stop them.
“We had a calm half time, and we just trusted what we did,” Bath hooker Tom Dunn told TNT Sports.
“We knew they would bring emotion, we knew they'd bring intensity, and fair play, they are a good team.
“But we knew if we weathered it, and we stayed in it, we'd grind it out.”
GIVING BLOOD FOR THE CAUSE
Dunn showed the effort Bath put in when he went off late on with blood pouring from his nose and ear, and a black eye on its way.
Bath’s Ben Pepper was man of the match after a performance when the flanker made 18 tackles and won three key turnovers in the first half.
On the other flank Hill was equally impressive. Along with his try, he made a try-saving tackle on Kalaveti Ravouvou after matching the Fijian wing stride for stride.
“After last year we put a massive target on this competition this year,” Pepper told TNT Sports.
"It was probably the hardest game of rugby I've been involved in. In that second half we came out and for that first 20 minutes we showed what we are capable of.
"We weren't ourselves in that first half, but we knew if we matched them emotionally, we had the firepower.”
“TOUGH CHALLENGE”
Bristol were left to rue a performance which mixed impressive play with indiscipline.
Ravouvou and replacement scrumhalf Kieran Marmion both spent 10 minutes in the sinbin, and Bath’s dominance in aerial challenges gave them a foothold when the Bears threatened to pull away in the first half.
“We knew it was going to be a really tough challenge coming here and for most of that match I felt we were the better side,” Bristol captain Fitz Harding said. “They showed their class in the end, and in the second half they were really, really clinical.”