The Prem
Bath (26) 40
Tries: Redpath, van der Linde, du Preez, Russell, Penalty, Hill Cons: Russell 4
Exeter (10) 34
Tries: Varney, Yeandle, Iosefa-Scott, Feyi-Waboso 2 Cons: Slade 3 Pen: Skinner
Bath made it two wins out of two in the new Prem season as they gained a degree of revenge for losing to Exeter Chiefs in last season’s semi-final.
The two sides produced another thrilling game, just as they did three months ago, exchanging 11 tries as the all-out attack approach to the new season continued.
The hosts scored four tries to have a bonus point in the bag by the break as Cameron Redpath, Bernard van der Linde, Dan du Preez and Finn Russell all scored to put them 26-10 ahead.
Stephen Varney and Jack Yeandle had got Exeter’s first-half scores, before Josh Iosefa-Scott and two great tries from England winger Immanuel Feyi-Waboso turned the match on its head within 15 minutes of the restart.
But Varney gave up a penalty try for a deliberate knock-on and Ted Hill’s effort took the game beyond their opponents, although Harvey Skinner kicked a late penalty to ensure the visitors came away from a second consecutive defeat with two bonus points.
The last meeting between the pair at the same venue is a match that will be remembered forever as the Chiefs came from 16 points down at half-time to win their Prem semi-final by a single point.
That defeat dethroned Bath as champions and they were looking ruthless as they grabbed two early tries.
Redpath read Skinner’s intentions to make an interception at point-blank range, giving him a free run to the line from inside his own half and there was opportunism about Bath’s second score, as scrum-half van der Linde spotted a gap, dummied and sprinted over from just outside the 22.
Exeter had to respond and Feyi-Waboso’s burst near the corner drew in enough defenders to allow Varney to exploit space to get his side on the board.
However, they could not keep the hosts out for long with more livewire stuff from van der Linde at the heart of it as he combined with Ewan Richards and although the little South African was held up a few metres short, there was no stopping compatriot du Preez from that distance.
A simple maul from a line-out saw Chiefs hooker Yeandle dot it down for their second try, but Bath had their bonus point on half-time as they worked the ball back to Russell with a bit of space and the Scotland and Lions fly-half did the rest with a dummy, turn of pace and finish.
