Ollie Lawrence races ahead for the decisive try, which saw Bath clear Bristol on points difference. Photo: Getty Images/Ryan Hiscott Bath 61 Saracens 29
After the coronation, it was not the procession expected at the Recreation Ground. And yet, ultimately, Ollie Lawrence's stoppage time attempt was enough for Bath to squeeze into the Heineken Champions Cup next season at the expense of fierce rivals Bristol.
Those who feared a mismatch here didn't expect this dramatic finale.
With the much-changed Saracens hitting so much more than their weight, Mark McCall's team has already picked up a bonus point for four tries before halftime and are leading 24-21 at halftime, threatening to win against the odds.
If there was a sense of inevitability of Bath dominance in the second half, as the Saracens ran out of steam and were left without a bench with a strong enough punch, this did not affect the spectacle of the competition.
What a race for eighth place, if you can call it that , went straight to the wire, added drama to the celebration of the death of Bath.
With Bristol 22 points ahead of Gloucester, Lawrence needed an opportunistic score that raced ahead after Bath hooker Niall Annette re-collected a chip from Saracen midfielder Manu Vunipol deep in his own half. Ulsterman's unloading caught Lawrence racing forward for a decisive run that put Bath ahead of Bristol on points difference, with Gloucester's last-breath penalty confirming the final standing.
It's still the early days of Johan van Graan's tenure, and yet on the day the club also said an emotional goodbye to former head coach Stuart Hooper, it feels like the club may have just turned the corner. It was Bath's fourth successive Premier League win after beating the Northampton Saints, Exeter Chiefs and Gloucester.
The fight to get rid of the Saracen second tier says that the South African still has a lot of work to do. and it seemed to me that qualifying for the Champions Cup was underwhelming. But it did ensure that the believers from Bath could at least head into the summer months with hope for the next season.
What is clear is that the impact of their acquisitions since the breakup of the Worcester Warriors has been transformational. Ted Hill staged a shift of sorts in front of England manager Steve Borthwick to suggest he would be in the payoff for a place in the World Cup squad heading to France.
Since Johann van Graan was at the helm, Bath has been on the rise. Credit: PA/Ben Whitley
Lawrence, apart from injury, is already confident in his place and, importantly for his new club and England, he is emerging as a player with leadership qualities. Ben Spencer, a former Saracen, also changed a lot against his former club.
“They were very important to us,” said van Graan, the former Munster head coach. “What happened to their clubs was very unfortunate, but what they did for us is amazing. Tonight they will be happy men.
“Our goal was to be invincible and I think we have achieved that now and we are better, we are just grateful for all the smiles on the faces of the people of Bath, the players and the staff. The last four weeks will be remembered for a long time.”
Another important takeaway from the competition is that Elliot Daly, who returned to action for the first time since a torn hamstring in January, performed well enough in the first half to suggest that that he will play in the Saracens semi-final against Northampton Saints.
Daly was the only star name on the fledgling Saracen team — Callum Hunter-Hill was the only survivor of their victory over the London Irish — but one who did manage to blow holes in Bath's defence, an area that van Graan should pull up next season, with with Rotimi Shogun, Ollie Hartley (2) and Ethan Lewis in the first half giving an impressive challenge to Bat.
Only Bat's bellboy was the point of difference, and prostitute Tom Dunn hammered a hat — a trick of tries, Ben Obano also scored twice. Bath's growing dominance was highlighted when Chris Cloeth and Orlando Bailey scored half a century of points, but the late qualifying drama for Europe added a glorious twist to a fun-filled day.
«We know it was for us it was big game and we knew what was at stake,” Hill said. “In the first half we played a bit individually, but in the second half we took the lead and showed a game that we are proud of. We know the potential of this group, we have great players and a great coaching staff. There has been a change in thinking.”
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