Bath Chronicle

Fightback earns bonus points

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The Team Bath men’s 1st XV headed into three successive home games on the back of another narrow BUCS Super Rugby defeat as they came away from a high-scoring encounter at Cardiff Met with two well-earned bonus points.

The Rengen-sponsored visitors played well and were competitiv­e throughout a brilliant contest but only had two George Worboys penalties to show for their first-half efforts and conceded three tries just before half-time to find themselves 24-6 behind at the break.

Another Worboys penalty cut the gap before Rahul Patel scored the try of the game, collecting the ball in his own 22 and surging through a gap in the Cardiff Met defence before handing off a couple of lastditch challenges to cross in the corner.

Worboys added the conversion and then produced a moment of magic himself in the 57th minute, instigatin­g a quick scrum on the Cardiff Met try line and drawing in a tackle with a clever dummy before off-loading for replacemen­t Sam Mercer to touch down.

The conversion cut the lead to 24-23 but the hosts were able to regain some breathing space with a well-worked converted try. A Worboys penalty kept Team Bath in touch but Cardiff Met were able to sneak over for a sixth try, despite initially looking to have been held up by some fierce defending.

Another converted try put the game out of Team Bath’s reach but they were determined to leave with some reward and gained both losing and four-try bonus points thanks to tries in the dying stages from Alfie Garside and Mercer, both converted by Worboys.

Team Bath now have three successive home matches at the Sports Training Village as they look to convert impressive performanc­es into victories, which began last night against Northumbri­a, followed by Leeds Beckett on Wednesday and Loughborou­gh on December 8. All kick-off at 6.30pm and admission is free to spectators.

 ?? PICTURE: Matchtight ?? Rahul Patel, who scored the try of the game for the Team Bath’s BUCS rugby side that fell to a narrow defeat at Cardiff Met
PICTURE: Matchtight Rahul Patel, who scored the try of the game for the Team Bath’s BUCS rugby side that fell to a narrow defeat at Cardiff Met

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