KO
It’s go time for the men in lime at the Rec. Myler kicks off…
BATH 0 SAINTS 0
1min
Manoa steals back the opening kick off and while Ken is ushered into touch on the left, a kicking duel ends in a poor one from Abendanon. Saints have a 30m lineout after the fullback’s kick clears the touchline on the right.
BATH 0 SAINTS 0
2mins
Crucial first scrum of the evening but having enjoyed the upper hand at the Gardens earlier in the season, Bath concede a free kick. Re-scrum ends in a Saints penalty, as James bores in on Ma’afu.
BATH 0 SAINTS 0
5mins
Solid first kick of the evening from Myler and Saints lead.
BATH 0 SAINTS 3
7mins
Half break out of the Saints 22 by George and Abendanon’s high kick then falls kindly for Elliott. The wing carries play back into Bath territory and Fotuali’i’s smart kick pegs the hosts even further back.
BATH 0 SAINTS 3
9mins
Good pressure from the visitors. A Bath maul only half gets going and with Joseph struggling to run it clear, Ford’s kick is then hooked wildly off the park. Secure lineout ball on the 22 for Saints but a knock on ends the move shortly after.
BATH 0 SAINTS 3
11mins
Now Bath get a scrum free kick and Ford is free to lump it out. McMillan’s arrows have been right on the mark yet again this evening and after a decent maul Foden’s chip in behind has Young scrambling back. Big hit from Banahan on George as well, the Samoan having to brave it and expose himself collecting a high pass.
BATH 0 SAINTS 3
14mins
Good response from George who puts in a powerful tackle of his own. Bath have space to play but when Abendanon kicks possession away, Ken and Elliott combine neatly to run it clear and a penalty is quick in coming on halfway.
BATH 0 SAINTS 3
15mins
Good play all round there. Saints forwards show some grunt, Myler’s delicate cross chip gives Elliott a chance but Abendanon fields it well and calls the mark.
BATH 0 SAINTS 3
16mins
High tackle penalty in midfield is right on Myler’s limit so the fly half punts it to touch instead. No luck with the maul and when a series of close range carries end in a pile up, play is quickly stopped for an injury to Webber.
BATH 0 SAINTS 3
17mins
Webber is helped from the field and replaced by Batty. Sensible refereeing there and play will restart with a Saints scrum.
BATH 0 SAINTS 3
18mins
Dickinson rescues the ball from a messy scrum and going through the phases, Saints are having to be patient. Ken almost unlocks some space before Myler misses with a drop goal attempt. He’s annoyed with himself too - that was from relatively simple range and under very little pressure.
BATH 0 SAINTS 3
21mins
Bath yet to have a go in the Saints’ half but that will soon change. A scrum drives forwards and Ford makes excellent ground with the resulting penalty to touch.
BATH 0 SAINTS 3
24mins
Maul is their weapon of choice but Saints are able to defend it strongly and even get to the ball carrier to win a scrum.
BATH 0 SAINTS 3
25mins
With knock on advantage being played, Saints look to run it clear from their own 22. Elliott may have been away if Foden could have scooped up from his bootlaces but it’s a scrum 5m from their own line instead.
BATH 0 SAINTS 3
27mins
Bath are having a good time at the scrum once more and drive Saints off their own ball. Scrum is the call for their penalty and Ford opts for goal after a second Saints offence. Back square.
BATH 3 SAINTS 3
31mins
Another unbelievable piece of restart work from Manoa, who is then clotheslined mid-air. Referee Carley is asking the TMO to have a look for foul play and it’s a penalty. It’s also a rare miss from the tee for Myler though.
BATH 3 SAINTS 3
33mins
A good Saints chase has Abendanon under all sorts of pressure, despite his fine aerial take. The full back is wrapped up for a pen and this time Myler’s radar is working just fine.
BATH 3 SAINTS 6
35mins
Superb work from Watson under a Bath cross kick and when Saints go offside in midfield Ford has the chance to even things up again. It’s one he takes.
BATH 6 SAINTS 6
37mins
Half chance for Bath as the ball squirms from Burrell’s grasp in contact but the hosts are eventually forced to kick through. Pressure on Saints to clear from the lineout but Bath foolishly pull down the man in the air and the squeeze is off.
BATH 6 SAINTS 6
40mins
Bath win themselves a scrum but this time it’s the men in lime getting a shunt on inside their own 10m line. One last spot of defence ends with Ford sending wide a longish drop goal.
BATH 6 SAINTS 6
HT
Honours even and that’s probably just about right after what we’ve seen. Saints started incredibly strongly but the territory was slowly wrestled away. The hosts’ power in the set piece has allowed them to bring the game back on par and set up an intriguing second half.
BATH 6 SAINTS 6
40mins
All to play for, Ford gets the action back underway…
BATH 6 SAINTS 6
41mins
Saints decide to give the restart a bit of a run before Myler clears. With his kick staying in touch, Banahan is free to have a charge and Ma’afu has to make an excellent tackle to prevent Watson from flying through.
BATH 6 SAINTS 6
43mins
It’s a home penalty and a chance for early points as Attwood points to the posts. Saints brought that pressure upon themselves to a certain extent but Ford slices wide from a similar position to Myler in the first half.
BATH 6 SAINTS 6
45mins
Bath try. The pressure is only off briefly and with advantage being played, Ford has a dart at the Saints defence. It’s a slicing break from the fly half and he has the pace to go beside the posts too as Foden desperately dashes across in vain.
BATH 13 SAINTS 6
47mins
Bath are living dangerously under the restarts but having just about clung onto this one, Banahan towers to claim a Ford kick. He hacks forward well too and Ken has no choice but to punt to touch inside his own 22. Bat then cross in midfield though and Saints have a pause to regroup.
BATH 13 SAINTS 6
49mins
A very good kick from Myler edges Saints into the Bath half and they get a second penalty in quick succession from the lineout.
BATH 13 SAINTS 6
50mins
Collisions are going off all over the field as the physicality cranks up another notch at the Rec. Fotuali’i is calm as ever though and makes himself the space to grubber down into Bath’s 22. Lawes steals the lineout as well.
BATH 13 SAINTS 6
51mins
A Penalty follows but all the attention is on McMillan who looks to have hurt his shoulder. The hooker takes his time to shrug off the pain though and Myler kicks to the corner.
BATH 13 SAINTS 6
52mins
SAINTS TRYYYYY!! Props to McMillan who finds his man at the lineout, sore arm and all, but Bath do well to keep Lawes out at close range. The phases begin to rack up and the patience pays off, Myler dragging in two defenders and sending Elliott over with a sublime offload.
BATH 13 SAINTS 11
54mins
What a touch of class from the Saints fly half, whose conversion is every bit as good from the touchline.
BATH 13 SAINTS 13
55mins
Changes on both sides, Haywood, Craig and Dowson on for McMillan, Manoa and Clark. Bath lose another hooker, Batty coming off and the officials and coaches needing a touchline meeting to determine what happens next. Catt and Perenise come on, Wilson goes off and no one inside the Rec has a clue what will happen next!
BATH 13 SAINTS 13
56mins
The break in play hasn’t stopped the Saints momentum and they roll a maul from their 22 up to the 10m line. We’ll now have a scrum after a Saints fumble. Uncontested? No. Catt is hooking for the hosts.
BATH 13 SAINTS 13
58mins
What a ridiculous sequence of play! Three resets later Bath are awarded a penalty without the ball even going into the set piece. Ford kicks the points.
BATH 16 SAINTS 13
60mins
Bath get a penalty from the restart as Lawes tackles Watson off the ball. It takes another few minutes and the TMO to decipher that the Saints second row should be shown yellow as well.
BATH 16 SAINTS 13
62mins
Bath are sensing blood but just as a move gets going the touch judge steps in to award Saints a penalty.
BATH 16 SAINTS 13
63mins
A first home lineout is lost with Catt throwing in and Saints get a penalty out of the ensuing maul. Having missed touch with his previous penalty, Myler this time makes sure. Stringer replaces Young for Bath.
BATH 16 SAINTS 13
64mins
Almost brilliant from Ken who is first to Myler’s bobbling kick. His slap inside to brother George is forwards though and Bath scrum down on their own 22.
BATH 16 SAINTS 13
66mins
Scrums have now become a lottery and Saints get the nod this time on Bath ball. It’s a wide-ish penalty but Myler guides it just inside the left upright.
BATH 16 SAINTS 16
69mins
Fotuali’i misses touch with one kick, but makes sure the next one goes off to force Catt to throw in. Credit to the prop, it’s a good arrow but Bath knock on having gone from one side of the field to the other and back.
BATH 16 SAINTS 16
70mins
Lawes is back just in time to bolster a Saints scrum and when Bath attempt to spin Myler’s high bomb across halfway, they drop the ball. Henson and Day are on for Devoto and Attwood, Denman for Waller on either side.
BATH 16 SAINTS 16
76mins
Saints lose their own lineout but as Bath attack on the 22, they can’t find a way through and Ford’s attempted drop goal is a poor one.
BATH 16 SAINTS 16
77mins
There’s an offside call against the Saints in midfield and Ford will have the chance to take Bath in front with just a couple left on the clock. This time he nails it.
BATH 19 SAINTS 16
79mins
Immediate chance for Saints as they pinch possession back from another restart. A loose bouncing ball in midfield stops play and the TMO is looking for an instance of foul play on Haywood. The tackle was late and Perenise is shown yellow.
BATH 19 SAINTS 16
80mins
All square again, Myler keeping his cool as the Rec air turns red.
BATH 19 SAINTS 19
80+1mins
There’s just time for the game to restart and Ford has a pop at a drop goal with advantage presumably being played. The TMO is being called into action yet again. Lawes and Ford collided in midfield but there’s nothing doing and referee Carley blows up for full-time.
BATH 19 SAINTS 19
FT
An evening of controversy, confusion and hard hitting rugby and in the end, neither side can really complain with a share of the spoils. Saints now effectively need just a point against Wasps next Saturday for a home semi-final.
BATH 19 SAINTS 19
TIMELINE
5mins SAINTS Pen Myler 0-3
20mins SAINTS Miss DG Myler
30mins BATH Pen Ford 3-3
32mins SAINTS Miss pen Myler
34mins SAINTS Pen Myler 3-6
36mins BATH Pen Ford 6-6
40mins BATH Miss DG Ford
HALF-TIME BATH 6 SAINTS 6
44mins BATH Miss pen Ford 6-6
45mins BATH Try and Con Ford 13-6
55mins SAINTS Try Elliott Con Myler 13-13
58mins BATH Pen Ford 16-13
60mins SAINTS Yellow Lawes
67mins SAINTS Pen Myler 16-16
76mins BATH Miss DG Ford
78mins BATH Pen Ford 19-16
79mins BATH Yellow Perenise
80mins SAINTS Pen Myler 19-19
80+1mins BATH Miss DG Ford
FULL-TIME BATH 19 SAINTS 19
BATH: Abendanon; Watson, Joseph, Devoto, Banahan; Ford, Young; James, Webber, Wilson, Hooper (capt), Attwood, Fearns, Mercer, Houston
Reps: Batty, Catt, Perenise, Day, Fa’osiliva, Stringer, Henson, Agulla
SAINTS: Foden; K Pisi, G Pisi, Burrell, Elliott; Myler, Fotuali’i; A Waller, McMillan, Ma’afu, Manoa, Lawes, Clark, Wood (capt), Dickinson
Reps: Haywood, Denman, Mercey, Craig, Dowson, A Day, Wilson, Collins
Referee: Matthew Carley
Att: 11,978
