STUART’S BOYS BLOW CHANCE
Bath 10 Montpellier 19
BATH blew the chance of an European Challenge Cup final against Leicester after shooting themselves in the foot against Montpellier. Stuart Hooper’s men had home advantage and scored first but what good work they did was undone by a disastrous lineout – allowing the French to take their place at Twickenham on May 21.
Time and again Bath put themselves in position to hurt Montpellier – spending a third of the game in Bath’s 22 – only to painfully cough up possession along the touchlines.
Bath started the better and were rewarded when Tom
Dunn went over.
At that point Montpellier’s heads were spinning and had the home side not blown two lineouts they might have built a significant advantage.
But the inconsistencies that have plagued Bath for too long once again proved their undoing – allowing Montpellier to gain a foothold. It proved fatal as once their tails were up, the French club quickly took control through Benoit Paillaugue and Alex Lozowski.
Lozowski, on loan from Saracens, made two superb line breaks to rock Bath back onto their heels and Paillaugue then worked the scoreboard.
By half-time the scrum-half had a hat-trick of penalties to his name and the assist for Yacouba Camara’s 23rd minute try, dinking a clever chip to Vincent Rattez who slipped the pass inside to his flanker.
Bath were in a hole and, unlike Leicester on Friday night, were unable to turn the tide in the third quarter despite phase after phase of pressure.
The frustration was clear in Bath’s pride of Lions’ wannabes, seeing their tour hopes diminish in front of Warren Gatland.
They kept working, with Joe Cokanasiga powering to within inches of the line. But again Bath’s lineout let them down, replacement hooker Jack Walker time missing his target in the red zone.
Montpellier sent onworld
Cup-winning Springboks Handre Pollard and Bismarck du Plessis to defend their one-score lead – and Du Plessis won a critical turnover on his own line.
It was a huge moment.and when Du Plessis escaped punishment for planting an elbow into the face of Elliot Stooke, Philippe Saint-andre’s side sensed it was their night.
And when Pollard kicked a penalty in the final minute, Bath’s fate was sealed.