Bath keen to grasp their big chance

BATH director of rugby Stuart Hooper has welcomed the end of an anxious few days as he targets a mighty upset against Exeter in tomorrow’s Gallagher Premiership semi-final.

Only when Sale’s rearranged final-round fixture against Worcester was cancelled on Wednesday morning after additional Sharks personnel tested positive for coronavirus were Bath assured of their place in the playoffs.

The west country club would have tumbled out of the top four had Sale won, but instead now they are preparing for a daunting trip to Sandy Park to play a Chiefs side that finished on top of the table in the regular season and are seeking a fifth successive appearance in the Twickenham final.

“We drew the Saracens game on Sunday which meant our destiny in the competition was taken out of our hands. That was tough,” Hooper said. “But we very quickly switched to understanding that if we do go through, the only team we can play is Exeter.

“We had that moment of disappointment, but then spoke about how we can’t waste two days, we had to recover and get ourselves in a place where we were emotionally ready to go and play a semi-final on Saturday. So we switched pretty quickly.

“The waiting around on Monday and Tuesday was obviously unique and challenging, but we were confident that the right decision would be made and prepared to play against Exeter.

“The decision to cancel came at the end of a thorough process, taking into account all the factors with health and safety being number one. I believe the right decision was made.”

Chiefs lost their last two fixtures in the regular season against London Irish and Wasps, who will face Bristol Bears in tomorrow’s other semi-final, with the winners meeting at Twickenham on Saturday, October 24.