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Bath 38-16 Northampton: Hosts get revenge for last season's Premiership final in opener as Saints are made to rue departures of legends Northampton got the better of their opponents in the Premiership final in June The likes of Courtney Lawes and Lewis Ludlam have however since left the club Friday night's game was a comfortable one for Bath, who scored five tries By Alex Bywater Published: 18:00 EDT, 20 September 2024 | Updated: 18:00 EDT, 20 September 2024 e-mail View comments Bath gained sweet revenge on Northampton for their defeat in last season's Gallagher Premiership final with a comfortable victory on the opening night of the 2024/25 campaign. In June, it was the Saints who lifted the English league title but here, they were without club legends Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam and Alex Waller who all moved on this summer. A five-try, bonus-point win for Bath was the perfect response to them falling just short the last time these two sides met.
'We didn't waste any energy on the final this week,' said Bath head of rugby Johann van Graan. 'There was no talk of redemption. This was one of 18 games.
'It was only about tonight and we did the job. It was an important start for us against a very good team.' Bath got revenge over Northampton Saints in the first game of the Premiership season on Friday night It was revenge for Bath, who lost out to the same side in the final of the competition in June Northampton are looking to retain the title they won against Bath but got off to a losing start Read More Inside the Northampton camp: How Saints' visit to church will guide their Premiership title defence In front of England head coach Steve Borthwick, Bath wing Joe Cokanasiga and Saints debutant Josh Kemeny swapped early tries.
Bath's second was scintillating. Ted Hill finished off a fine counter. The two kickers – Finn Russell and Fin Smith – weren't perfect but kept their teams ticking over.
Ben Spencer's sniping run meant Bath led 21-10 at the break. Smith's boot kept Northampton in touch but when they tried to attack from their own half, the ball went loose and Ollie Lawrence capitalised for the crucial fourth try. Bath star Russell's smile after he nailed his late kicks said everything about his team's win and what was a strong start to the season for the team many have predicted to end on top.
Northampton finished with 14 after Kemeny saw yellow and there was still time for replacement Jaco Coetzee to complete the home scoring. Northampton director of rugby Phil Dowson confirmed England scrum-half Alex Mitchell, who missed this game, has a neck injury and is awaiting the results of a scan. England head coach Steve Borthwick watched the game from the stands on Friday night It was a comfortable victory for Bath, who scored five tires during what was a dominant showing The likes of club legend Courtney Lawes (pictured) left the Saints for pastures new before the start of the season 'In the first half we didn't quite get it right,' Dowson said.
'We talked about energy and physicality and that was excellent. We can coach everything else.' Newcastle, winless in the Premiership last season, couldn't start their bid for redemption with a victory against Bristol although they were far more competitive than when the two sides last met.
The Bears had hammered the Falcons 85-14 in April, but this time Pat Lam's men were pushed harder as they left Kingston Park with a 24-3 success. Share or comment on this article: Bath 38-16 Northampton: Hosts get revenge for last season's Premiership final in opener as Saints are made to rue departures of legends e-mail Add comment.
