Bath 19 Chiefs 22

 

Bath Rugby 19

Exeter Chiefs 22

Mark Stevens at the Recreation Ground

If at first you don’t succeed – try, try and try again.

Well, in the case of the Exeter Chiefs it’s taken 12 attempts, but at last the Bath curse has been finally broken.

Rob Baxter’s side booked themselves a home date with Northampton Saints in next Sunday’s LV= Cup Final with a hard-fought 22-19 win against their Westcountry rivals.

Having come so close on numerous other occasions since 2010, this was finally the day when Devon’s finest rose to the occasion. Indeed, not since 1978 had the Chiefs tasted success against their nearest and dearest.

It was, therefore, somewhat fitting that in the Roman City, it was Exeter’s very own Emperor, Tony Rowe, who offered the seal of approval with a joyous ‘thumbs up’ at the final whistle.

A try double from Luke Arscott and another sizzling effort from the ‘Tongan Express’ Fetu’u Vainikolo were the highlights for the Chiefs, whose other points came from the boot of young fly-half Henry Slade.

However, Bath could easily have sent the game into extra time had Tom Heathcote, who finished the game with 14 points of his own, not seen his long-range effort fall just short of the mark.

He was gifted a late chance when Exeter replacement James Scaysbrook engaged in a moment of madness with just 30 seconds remaining on the clock. The former Bath flanker was pulled up for holding onto the ball as his former employers went to take a quick line-out.

Thankfully, his indiscretion did not prove fatal and the Chiefs were able to celebrate as Arscott collected the punt before setting off on a gentle jog to the touchline.

It sparked scenes of delirium amongst the travelling Tribe, all of whom will again be out in force for Sunday’s showdown against the travelling Saints, who themselves booked their final spot with victory over Saracens.

Certainly home advantage will be an asset to Baxter’s men, but they know they will need to improve in a number of certain areas if they are to repel the threat of the Midlanders.

In the fourth instalment of these two Westcountry rivals, it was Bath - just as they did back in November - who flew out of the traps. In what was an almost carbon copy of their opening try that day, Bath exposed a glaring hole down Exeter’s right flank to break the deadlock.

Full-back Nick Abendanon latched onto a pass from Guy Mercer, he tore down the wing before linking with Argentine speedster Horacio Agulla.  Although he was felled by a last-gasp tackle from Matt Jess, he was still able to offload to the oncoming Houston, who did the rest from just a few yards out. Heathcote obliged with the extras to give his side the dream start.

So, with the initial game plan somewhat disrupted by Bath’s early endeavour, the Chiefs needed to find a quick route back into the contest. Slade’s clever grubber in behind almost threatened to send the lively Ian Whitten over in the left-hand corner, before Slade himself notched a penalty after referee Tim Wigglesworth penalised Bath for straying offside in midfield.

At the other end, Heathcote slotted the first of his four penalties when he banged over a 30-metre effort after the Chiefs were found guilty of infringing at a ruck following a clever counter-attack from Fijian flyer Semesa Rokoduguni.

Again the visitors needed a rapid response and it duly arrived when - following a yellow card for Welshman Gavin Henson - Exeter exploited the numbers game out wide to send Arscott over for his first try following a clever pass back inside from Tom James.

Slade saw his testing touchline conversion sail wide of the mark, whilst another penalty chance also failed to hit the mark after Guy Mercer was pulled up for holding on in the tackle.

Heathcote demonstrated how it should be done just before the break as he gave his side a five-point cushion with a second penalty.

HALF TIME      BATH RUGBY 13    EXETER CHIEFS 8

After a bruising first half of action at the picturesque Rec, it was Bath who were first to show on the resumption as Scottish international Heathcote extended his side’s advantage when he added a third penalty with just eight minutes elapsed.

Up against it, the Chiefs looked for a route back into the match. Initially their efforts failed to bring reward, but when Arscott gobbled up a loose chip kick from Heathcote on halfway, the Exeter No.15 spotted the gap in the home defences, before racing clear to score under the sticks.

Slade duly converted the score, before adding the extras to a stunning effort from Vainikolo just before the hour mark.

Again, the Chiefs were deadly on the counter as another loose kick was fielded deep inside their own half - and quickly worked to Vainikolo who, in the blink of an eye, turned on the after burners to scorch clear of the home defences. His dazzling footwork and sheer speed were a sight to behold as he galloped his way under the posts, much to the delight of the many Exeter supporters who had packed into the sun-drenched terrace at the North End.

Now it was the visitors who were in front for the first time in the contest. However, such is the nature of these titanic tussles - leads are never secure and so it proved as the game entered into a nervy final quarter.

Slade shanked another testing penalty chance from wide on the left just off target, whilst Heathcote was again on the money as he reduced the arrears with a fourth penalty to set up a grandstand finale to the match.

Roared on by a crowd of just over 9,000, Bath pushed hard in attack, but the stubborn Chiefs defence - in which White was the master of his art - were holding firm.

That was, until the final move of the match when Scaysbrook inadvertently held onto the ball for a little longer than he should have. His antics were spotted by Wigglesworth and the penalty awarded.

With the kick right on his range, Heathcote stepped forward to take on the challenge of sending the game into extra time. His shot had the direction, but the lack of power was telling as right at the death it dipped below the posts in front of the IPL Stand.

The Chiefs had done it, finally the Bath bogey had been picked off.

Next stop is Sandy Park and a final engagement with Jim Mallinder’s Saints, who themselves are on a bit of a march.

Bath Rugby: N Abendanon; S Rokoduguni, O Devoto (M Banahan 48), G Henson (B Williams 75), H Agulla; T Heathcote, M Roberts (P Stringer 58); N Catt, E Guinzau (R Batty 46), J-P Orlandi (A Perenise 46); S Hooper (capt), R Caldwell; M Garvey, G Mercer (F Louw 46), L Houston. Replacements: K Palma-Newport, M Gilbert, B Williams

Try - Houston; Conversion - Heathcote; Penalties - Heathcote (4)

Yellow Card: Henson

Chiefs: L Arscott; M Jess, I Whitten, P Dollman (G Steenson 43-50), T James (F Vainikolo h/t); H Slade, D Lewis; C Rimmer (L Cowan-Dickie 58), C Whitehead, H Tui (A Brown 58); D Mumm (capt), D Welch (J Hanks 53, J Scaysbrook 76); D Ewers, B White, K Horstmann. Replacements: G Bateman, H Thomas.

Tries - Arscott (2), Vainikolo; Conversions - Slade (2); Penalty - Slade

Referee: T Wigglesworth.

Attendance: 9,225

UP NEXT FOR THE CHIEFS: v Northampton Saints (H), LV= Cup Final, Sunday, March 16 (3pm)