De Glanville double earns derby win
Full-back Tom de Glanville scored two tries as Gallagher Premiership title contenders Bath Rugby returned to winning ways by beating West Country rivals Gloucester 17-10 at the Recreation Ground.
The win takes Bath up to third in the table as they recovered from a New Year’s Eve loss against Leicester, while it was Gloucester’s ninth successive Premiership defeat their worst run of league results in the competition’s history.
De Glanville struck in each half, while there was also a touchdown for wing Will Muir, with fly-half Finn Russell adding one conversion on another off day from the kicking tee.
Bath will require a considerable improvement when they host French heavyweights Racing 92 in the Investec Champions Cup this weekend, but they still got the job done without remotely finding top gear.
The Cherry and Whites led 10-5 at half-time following a Ruan Ackermann try, plus a conversion and penalty from fly-half Adam Hastings. But a losing bonus-point will provide scant consolation, especially as they finished the game strongly and caused Bath plenty of problems.
Gloucester made a strong start and were ahead after seven minutes following a quickly-taken penalty by their forwards that resulted in Ackermann claiming the touchdown and Hastings converting.
The visitors, 16 points behind Bath in the Premiership before kick-off, did not lack confidence, and wing Jonny May sparked a flowing move that was only halted when Ackermann’s pass drifted forward.
Bath’s first threat of the game followed a knock-on by Gloucester full-back Santiago Carreras, with hooker Tom Dunn being stopped just short of the line.
Wing Joe Cokanasiga then had a chance, but he spilled possession within sight of Gloucester’s line, yet Bath finally broke through nine minutes before the interval.
Centre Ollie Lawrence made initial headway before a brilliant outthe-back pass from De Glanville freed Muir, who then fed the ball inside to his full-back for an outstanding try.
Russell could not convert, and Gloucester ended the half with a five-point lead when Hastings landed a 40-metre penalty, leaving their hosts with plenty to think about.
But Bath needed just 57 seconds of the second period to go ahead as Muir marked his 50th game for the club through an opportunist try.
He had limited space to work in, but when covering Gloucester scrum-half Caolan Englefield got nut-megged and Muir gathered a kind bounce and crossed unopposed, with Russell’s conversion putting Bath ahead for the first time.
They looked to have extended their advantage shortly afterwards, but after referee Christophe Ridley initially awarded a try for flanker GJ van Velze, it was then ruled out for unclear grounding.
Gloucester’s cause was not helped by Carreras being yellowcarded for a deliberate knock-on, yet outstanding defence continued to thwart Bath entering the final quarter.
Bath, though, broke through following a flowing move that saw centre Lawrence find De Glanville, and he cut back inside to finish in style, giving the full-back his second try.
Gloucester laid siege inside Bath’s 22 during the closing minutes as they tried to salvage a draw, but a handling error from Hastings cost them dear and the home side moved back upfield, the victory secured.