Bath stunned as Exeter head for final after last-ditch drama caps comeback

For nan first clip since nan top crippled successful Premiership history, nan distant squad person won a playoff. This was not a comeback to lucifer that of Harlequins astatine Bristol successful 2021, but Exeter looked each spot arsenic dormant and buried astatine half-time. And past a caller squad took to nan section for nan 2nd half.

And truthful we will person a caller champion. Bath had truthful dominated nan first half, their lead was nan slightest they mightiness person expected. But successful nan 2nd half, they looked utterly bewildered, for illustration a golfer who conscionable cannot understand why he tin nary longer deed nan shot straight. Where they had erstwhile smashed done collisions, they were now staggering disconnected rampant Exeter runners. Same sport, apparently – they conscionable couldn’t play it immoderate more.

They mounted 1 past attack, picking and going, picking and going. Bath had not been awarded a azygous punishment successful nan 2nd half. The referee was not going to commencement then. How they could person done pinch Finn Russell to onshore a driblet goal, but nan Scotland fly-half had not rather recovered. Santi Carreras is simply a genius, but he has played only occasionally astatine fly-half this play and he ne'er called for it. Bath could person whipped nan shot wide, wherever Joe Cokanasiga waited successful acres, but they kept it close, their assurance shot, and nan Chiefs held them up to herald nan last whistle.

Exeter were inspired by a caller beforehand row. How specified specifications tin toggle shape a match. And truthful we had different improbable comeback triumph to respire further life into this astir vibrant of competitions.

If rugby matches were won by sheer unit of will (and they rather often are), Bath would person been retired of show by half-time. As it is, they led by 26-10 astatine nan break, which is thing to beryllium getting connected with, 4 tries to one. But nan Chiefs were subjected to a shape of full-frontal battle for almost nan entirety of nan first half.

Exeter did good to move information arsenic adjacent arsenic they did. The visitors crossed nan statement 3 times themselves successful that period, Campbell Ridl nan first to do truthful of nan match, successful only nan 3rd minute, but Henry Slade’s agelong walk to him was intelligibly forward. Slade was complete himself 20 minutes later, but Greg Fisilau could not rather gaffe his reverse flick distant earlier his ft clipped nan touchline aft Paul Brown-Bampoe’s tally down nan right.

When Exeter did transverse legitimately, different mates of minutes later, it was spectacular, Christ Tshiunza galloping done Bath’s midfield, past stepping his measurement information Carreras arsenic if he were a winger, not nan 6ft 6in flanker-cum-lock he really is.

Alas, successful betwixt Slade’s contributions there, he spent 10 minutes successful nan bin, erstwhile Bath started to build a lead. Roared connected by a Rec bathed successful splendid sunshine, it was virtually nonstop attack. Bath’s group portion was dominant, Alfie Barbeary was scattering defenders, nan midfield subtlety and powerfulness successful cleanable balance. The tries followed inevitably.

The Bath fans astatine nan Rec bask their team’s ascendant first-half display. Photograph: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK/Shutterstock

Slade’s reasonably blatant offence information nan fringes of nan latest Bath attack, successful nan 11th minute, is what earned him his clip successful nan bin. Tom Dunn tapped nan penalty, and Beno Obano would not beryllium stopped from nan adjacent ruck. Same thought for Bath’s second, conscionable earlier Slade returned. Barbeary smashed his measurement to a fewer feet short of an attacking lineout, and Thomas du Toit, fresh from his hat-trick past weekend, added another, this clip carrying half nan Exeter battalion complete nan statement pinch him from 5 metres out.

So overmuch for brute force. Bath were showing plentifulness successful nan measurement of sleight of hand, and truthful it told conscionable awkward of nan hour, aft Tshiunza’s effort and an earlier punishment from Harvey Skinner pulled nan Chiefs to wrong five. Tom de Glanville slipped a walk to merchandise Ollie Lawrence. His walk connected nan tally recovered Cokanasiga for Bath’s third.

Five minutes later, they had a fourth. A large Bath scrum had won punishment advantage, truthful Ben Spencer was free to nonstop a speculative cross-kick to nan left-hand area wherever Henry Arundell someway grounded, a split-second earlier he crossed nan dead-ball line.

When nan displacement successful momentum happened, it was spectacular. Exeter changed their full beforehand statement and successful truthful doing changed everything. Ben Hammersley was complete for nan first of 3 tries that were portion of 17 unanswered points. Just awkward of nan hour, a Skinner break sent nan abruptly ferocious Fisilau to a mates of metres short, felled by a superb Josh Bayliss tackle. No matter, Fisilau sprang to his feet and forced his measurement complete a mates of phases later.

A peculiarly harsh yellowish paper for Cokanasiga, who had each chance of intercepting, astatine nan commencement of nan last 4th was preceded by a effort of brute unit again, this 1 for Ethan Burger, 1 of nan supersubs successful Exeter’s beforehand row. Comeback consummated. The Chiefs person ne'er mislaid a playoff. Now, against Northampton astatine Twickenham adjacent weekend, they person a chance to go nan first squad to triumph nan Prem from 3rd place. We person seen everything else. Why not?