Another Kepu Tuipulotu treble inspires Bath to nine-try home win over Cardiff ahead of big BUCS Super Rugby showdown
Kepu Tuipulotu scored a hat-trick of tries against Welsh opposition for the second time this BUCS Super Rugby season as the University of Bath men’s 1st XV eased to a 59-16 home victory over Cardiff on Wednesday.
Bath made nine changes to the 15 that had started the previous week’s excellent away win in Durham and it didn’t take long for one of those new starters to make an impact, Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi scoring the opening try which was converted by Will Roue.
Cardiff responded in kind and then edged ahead with a penalty but Bath Rugby Academy hooker Tuipulotu restored the home team’s advantage with his first try of the evening, again converted by Roue.
The battling visitors kicked two more penalties either side of a Bath penalty try to keep the game in the balance but the hosts gave themselves breathing space when Tuipulotu went over for his second of the game to make it 26-16 at half-time.
The second half was one-way traffic as captain Harry Breeze went over before Tuipulotu completed his hat-trick to emulate his performance at Cardiff Met back in October. Roue added the extras to those tries and one from Aiden Ainsworth-Cave, who has been awarded a Hudson Powell Sports Scholarship at the University.
Ieuan Davies also touched down, Raff Weston kicking the conversion, before replacement hooker Max Pearce completed the scoring with Bath’s ninth try of the evening.
Bath, who are sponsored by Bath Building Society and Rengen, go into the Christmas break with what promises to be a cracker of a contest against table-topping Loughborough at the Team Bath Sports Training Village on Wednesday 11th December. Kick-off is the earlier time of 5pm and admission is free.
Match stats
University of Bath starting XV: 1 Jacob Yates, 2 Kepu Tuipulotu, 3 Henry Mountford, 4 Max Mayor, 5 Aiden Ainsworth-Cave, 6 Harry Breeze (c), 7 Will Keylock, 8 Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi; 9 Ieuan Davies, 10 Will Roue, 11 Oli Sedgwick, 12 Kit Evans, 13 James Short, 14 Charlie Griffin, 15 Freddy Rossigneux. Replacements: 16 Max Pearce, 17 Oban Baird, 18 Alfie Griffin, 19 Tom Hilton, 20 George Doel, 21 Archie Friend, 22 Raff Weston, 23 Henry Bartlett.
Tries: Opoku-Gyamfi, Tuipulotu 3, penalty, Breeze, Ainsworth-Cave, Davies, Pearce.
Conversions: Roue 5, Weston.
Cardiff starting XV: 1 Joshua Twigg, 2 Tom King, 3 Matt Towndrow, 4 Sam Gilbert, 5 Ollie Close, 6 Tom Caple, 7 James Smith, 8 Owen Popple; 9 George MacDonald, 10 Harrison James, 11 Jack Thomas, 12 Oscan van Deventer, 13 Tom Kilmartin, 14 Samuel Plumer, 15 Ellis Davies. Replacements: 16 Toby Peach, 17 Ethan Jones, 18 Jack Beazer, 19 Jack Ramsay, 20 Oliver Stirling, 21 Finlay Charles, 22 Sam Sommers, 23 Tomi Booth.
