Johann van Graan has explained that redemption was never on the Bath agenda after they opened their Gallagher Premiership campaign with a 38-16 victory over champions Northampton. Bath turned the tables on Saints just three months after losing narrowly to them in the 2023/24 Premiership final.
They ran in five tries and were never seriously threatened, even though Saints trailed by just five points after an hour before Bath pulled away. “It was an important start for us against a very good team,” said van Graan, the Bath head of rugby. “We didn’t waste any energy on the final this week. We reviewed it a few weeks ago.
“Obviously, our last game was in the final against Northampton, but there wasn’t any talk of redemption or we’ve got to get one over them. It was Northampton first up, one of 18 (Premiership) games, against a very good side. We need to perform right through the season, as we did last season, to be in contention at the back end of May.”
Bath triumphed in bonus-point fashion as tries from wing Joe Cokanasiga, flanker Ted Hill, scrum-half Ben Spencer, centre Ollie Lawrence and replacement Jaco Coetzee saw them home. Fly-half Finn Russell kicked five conversions and a penalty, while Northampton could have few complaints about the outcome.
Flanker Josh Kemeny touched down on his Premiership debut for Saints, while Fin Smith booted a conversion and three penalties, yet they left the west country without a point. Northampton missed the sniping presence of injured England scrum-half Alex Mitchell and, although Smith provided moments of flair and creativity, Bath always enjoyed an element of control.
Saints rugby director Phil Dowson said Mitchell was absent after taking a knock to his neck, with the club now awaiting scan results. It was also Northampton’s first Premiership game since players like Courtney Lawes, Lewis Ludlam and Alex and Ethan Waller either headed to French club rugby or retired.
“Players leave every year. It is probably highlighted because the players who left last season were stalwarts, club legends and very good players,” Dowson said. “At the same time, we are a club that develops our own and we have got guys coming through. We are not talking about being champions. We haven’t won a game this season and we move on to Exeter next weekend and make sure we learn the lessons from today.
“In the first half we didn’t quite get it right and we didn’t really exert any pressure on them in their own half. At the start of the second half I thought we were excellent and at 21-16 I thought we were in with a shout. Then we give away what turns out to be quite a soft try and we start chasing the game and it gets away from us.
“The energy and physicality and those base-line things were excellent. We can coach everything else and get better at all the other things. We just didn’t quite get it right in terms of how we played.”
