Sport

Bath clinch group and now seek home advantage

Pool Five/Bourgoin 9 Bath 22: Nick Walshe muscled his way over for a crucial try as Bath won in France last night to ensure …

Sat Jan 14 2006 - 00:00

Pool Five/Bourgoin 9 Bath 22:Nick Walshe muscled his way over for a crucial try as Bath won in France last night to ensure a place in the Heineken European Cup quarter-finals

Brian Ashton's struggling Premiership side trailed Bourgoin 6-3 at half-time, but tries from Walshe and backrower Michael Lipman took the English side into a lead they never relinquished.

Bath's 13-point victory is the first time a visiting side have won at Stade Pierre Rajon this season and Bath know a win over Leinster at the Recreation Ground next weekend will ensure a home play-off match.

Bourgoin went into this match as huge outsiders to make the cup quarter-finals, and they were facing a Bath side with 10 changes to that which lost to Leeds Tykes in the Premiership last weekend.

READ MORE

Alexandre Peclier and Olly Barkley swapped early penalties in the first quarter as both sides sorted themselves out. Peclier's second penalty goal in the 40th minute gave the home side a hard-fought 6-3 lead at the break.

New Bath coach Ashton threw on England prop Matt Stevens at the start of the second half, with David Flatman lasting only 40 minutes of his comeback from Achilles problems, but Peclier nudged his side further ahead with his third penalty goal.

A piece of magic from scrum-half Walshe, who powered his way over the try-line on the hour mark, took Bath to within a point of the French club and Barkley did the rest to give his side the lead for the first time.

Backrower Lipman crashed over for his side's second try, and Barkley's sideline conversion gave Bath a play-off sealing eight-point lead. Welsh duo, Gareth Delve and Tom Cheeseman, secured Bath's third try.

SCORERS - Bourgoin: Pens: Peclier 3. Bath: Tries: Walshe, Lipman, Cheeseman. Cons: Barkley 2. Pens: Barkley.

BOURGOIN: Peclier; Janin, Bousses, Giorgadze, Coux; Boyet, M Forest; Milloud, Cabello, Peyron, Pape, Del-Fava, Frier, Petrilli, Bonnaire. Replacements not used: Bonet, Cardinali, Jooste, Monzeglio, Campeggia, Carmona, Davis.

Bath: Stephenson; Bory, Cheeseman, Finau, Welsh; Barkley, Walshe; Flatman, Dixon, Bell, Borthwick, Grewcock, Short, Lipman, Fea'unati. Replacements not used: Mears, Stevens, Loader, Delve, Hudson, Williams, Malone.

Referee: A Rolland (Ireland).