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Two improving teams will clash at the Recreation Ground on Saturday as Bath take on Italian side Benetton Rugby
Two improving teams will clash at the Recreation Ground on Saturday as Bath take on Italian side Benetton Rugby, live on Sky Sports. Winners in 1998, Bath haven’t reached a Champions Cup semi-final since 2006 and will need to get past a tough Benetton side who have had a good start to their Pro14 campaign, beating Ospreys and Edinburgh.
· This will be the fourth meeting between the sides with Bath winning two of the previous three games (L1). This will be their first encounter since the 2004/05 season.
· Bath’s defeat to Benetton in 2004/05 was their only loss to Italian opposition in Europe (including Challenge Cup) They’ve won 16 of 17 such games overall, including six of seven in the Champions Cup.
· Benetton won their first away game against Premiership opposition in the European Cup, in November 1999 (v Harlequins), however, they’ve lost on all 14 trips to England since.
Bath absorbed plenty of Benetton pressure before picking them off ruthlessly with two tries in an attritional Pool 5 opener at The Rec. - 14/10/2017 20:40
Bath absorbed plenty of Benetton pressure before picking them off ruthlessly with two tries in an attritional Pool 5 opener at The Rec.
- Zach Mercer finished off some excellent interplay between Semesa Rokoduguni and Chris Cook on the stroke of half time to score the first try of the game.
- Josh Lewis, the hosts' summer signing from Ebbw Vale, kept admirable composure on his Bath European debut, kicking three from three penalties and both conversions.
- The game was slow-paced, with Benetton exerting sustained pressure on the Bath defence in both halves, and enjoying two-thirds of possession, but ultimately lacking the required cutting edge.
- Aled Brew superbly sliced through the defence off the back of a lineout to end any Italian hopes in the second half.
- Benetton had three tries disallowed, survived a good shout for a penalty try against them and Bath had Nick Auterac and Tom Dunn sin-binned, but somehow held out for a clean sheet.
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