Match action
BATH, who scarcely laid a hand on the ball in the first half, rectified that wonderfully well after the break to close out an important win over in-form Newcastle.
As Newcastle began to hit the wall after labouring fruitlessly, Freddie Burns took control to remind allcomers what a fine player he remains and by the close Bath were pushing hard for a unlikely try bonus.
Bath, who play at Ospreys on Friday, have now won all their three pool games and are looking in good shape to progress. Newcastle, with two wins out of three, also remain very much in contention in their pool with a home match against Gloucester next up on Saturday.
A scoreless first half might suggest a lack of ambition but, despite difficult wet conditions and a slippery ball that was far from the case in a compelling match in front of a near full house at the Rec.
Newcastle, in ultra confident mood after eight wins on the bounce in all competitions, ripped into attack from the off but a combination of their own lack of precision and excellent Bath defence kept them at bay.
Falcons squandered four clear cut try opportunities before the break. First, they made a mess of a line-out five metres out and then Matt Banahan intercepted with a try looking likely down the right wing.
Flanker Simon Uzokwe went close with a powerful surge but Sam Stuart couldn’t pick up cleanly to dob down and finally veteran Ally Hogg did make the tryline but was deemed to have crawled along the ground with his knees.
Rarely do you get to waste so many opportunities and still prevail and Bath, knowing they had escaped lightly in the open- ing 40 minutes, looked much sharper after the break.
Industrious No.8 Paul Grant burrowed over for the first try of the game in the 52nd minute after a patient pick and go build up and, although Joel Hodgson hit back with a penalty, Bath then moved ahead in style.
It was that man Banahan who made great strides down the left wing but then, showing the soft hands that have always been part of his game, the giant wing off-loaded expertly for replacement
Nathan Charles to score.
Newcastle, who could scarcely believe how the match seemed to be getting away from them, made one final effort and excellent work from the promising Adam Radwan on the left wing sent Callum Chick in but that was their final act of defiance.
The departure of the injured Hodgson didn’t help but Bath were in the groove now and responded by going up another gear.
It was all Bath in the final ten minutes and Burns, who Bath will be looking to with Rhys Priestland laid up for a while with a bad hamstring tear, crowned an increasingly authoritative performance with a peach of a low driven cross field kick that was so accurate that all Jack Wilson had to do was catch the ball and fall over for the try.